Which AI should you use? CBS re­search­er guides you through the op­tions

Before anything else, it is important to understand what AI is not.

This is the view of Christian Hendriksen, Associate Professor at the Department of Operations Management at CBS, who has long taken an interest in the topic and has even written a 164-page guide  to using tools such as ChatGPT in education. 

“AI cannot solve all your problems. Think of it as an extra tool, not as a replacement for your own work. 

“Used wisely, AI can free up time and mental capacity. Repetitive tasks that only reproduce what you already know are well suited for a model like ChatGPT. But if you let AI do everything, you risk losing your ability to think critically,” he explains. 

Green AI models?

AI consumes huge amounts of energy and water. According to MIT News, every kWh used in a data centre requires around two litres of water for cooling.

When the Chinese company DeepSeek launched its model in 2024, they emphasised that the model used 50–75% less energy than their competitors. The reason was that limited computing power in China forced developers to make it cheaper and more energy-efficient to run.

But things are moving fast, says Christian Hendriksen:

“ChatGPT is now about 40 times cheaper to use than it was two years ago. The whole market is moving towards more energy-efficient models.”

AI models keep your data – and train on it 

Another key issue is data security. When you share information with AI, it is usually stored and often used to train the model.

“Almost no matter which model you choose, your data leaves Europe, and that is something you need to be aware of,” explains Christian Hendriksen and offers this overview: 

• DeepSeek: sends data to China
• ChatGPT: allows you to opt out of training use – but your information is still stored in the US
• Copilot: works in the same way as ChatGPT but is closely tied to Microsoft’s ecosystem

Which AI model is the best?

Data security is one thing. The quality of the answers is another. But which AI tool really delivers the best results?

“There is no single answer. It depends on what you need,” says Christian Hendriksen.

“ChatGPT is the most mature programme. I recommend starting with the free version so you can try out the basic chat models. They work really well, but they are not the best.”

Because ChatGPT has been on the market for so long, the model has developed significantly and become much stronger over time.

Christian Hendriksen sums up which AI is most suitable for different users:

“If you want access to the very best models, you should buy a subscription to either Gemini or ChatGPT. Personally, I recommend ChatGPT Pro for serious, professional work. For most students, however, the free version of ChatGPT will be more than enough. Copilot has improved too, but the answers are often shorter, less nuanced and you can provide less context to the model.”