Does it really feel to you want there are method too many AI assistants to maintain observe of?
Between ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, Anthropic Claude, DeepSeek, and others, it’s onerous to recollect what each excels at—if something. Past simply the underlying variations in massive language fashions, every AI assistant has its personal options, integrations, premium options, and peculiarities.
I’m penning this information each for myself and for anybody who desires to remain knowledgeable about generative AI. Whereas I’ve some reservations, I additionally assume it’s price keeping track of what’s out there. Reasonably than moving into the technical particulars of how these AI assistants work, I’ll deal with what they will really do.
ChatGPT by OpenAI
Essentially the most recognizable identify in generative AI can be essentially the most fleshed out as a standalone client tech product, with options like net search, a built-in doc editor, and a conversational voice mode. ChatGPT additionally supplies one of the crucial sturdy free tiers of any AI assistant, with all however its most bleeding-edge options out there in some capability with no subscription.
Notable options:
- Voice mode for participating in back-and-forth dialog, together with a complicated model with extra emotive responses.
- Traits that outline how ChatGPT ought to converse with you.
- Short-term chats that don’t seem in your historical past and don’t prepare OpenAI’s fashions.
- Canvas doc editor that makes use of AI to generate and revise content material.
- Net-search for bringing in real-time info.
- GPTs that usher in info from third-party apps and companies.
- Motive button that gives extra in-depth drawback fixing and choice making.
Value: Free for restricted mannequin entry, $20 monthly for extra superior fashions and new options, $200 monthly for limitless entry to experimental options.
Claude by Anthropic
As The New York Times has noted, Claude is a favourite amongst AI insiders for its sense of emotional intelligence, with responses which might be “much less just like the generic prose generated by different chatbots.”
Whereas its options are on the bare-bones facet—it will probably’t search the net and lacks a voice dialog mode (for now)—it does provide some useful options for creating and interacting with paperwork.
Notable options:
- Tasks mode, which helps you to add paperwork and knowledge for context in your chats.
- Artifacts, that are standalone paperwork and picture information you may obtain to be used in different apps.
- Kinds, which allow you to refine how Claude writes its responses. You may even add a doc for Claude to attempt to mimic.
Value: Free for restricted utilization. $20 monthly for extra fashions, reasoning, and the Tasks function.
Google Gemini
Google’s AI merchandise are extra diffuse than a few of its startup rivals. Whereas Gemini exists in standalone form on the internet and in cell apps—and serves because the default voice assistant on newer Android telephones—it additionally generates summaries in Google Search, and is baked into different Google merchandise comparable to Gmail, Docs, and Chrome. All this makes Gemini a bit difficult to quantify as a complete, besides that it feels unavoidable in case you frequently use Google’s merchandise.
Notable options:
- Extensions for interacting with different (largely Google) companies, as an illustration by summarizing YouTube movies or flagging essential message from Gmail.
- Gemini Reside for free-flowing voice conversations.
- Google Assistant options comparable to sensible house management and reminders.
- NotebookLM, a separate but popular product that may analyze your paperwork, create summaries, and even flip them into podcasts.
Value: Free, with $20 monthly Gemini Superior subscription for Workspace integration, book-length doc evaluation, and extra superior fashions.
Microsoft Copilot
Simply as Gemini is constructed into Google merchandise, Copilot is weaved into Microsoft’s Home windows working system, Workplace suite, and Edge browser. Its precise capabilities aren’t a lot completely different from different AI assistants—it primarily makes use of OpenAI’s massive language fashions—but it surely’s simpler to entry in case you’re deep into Microsoft’s ecosystem. (Microsoft’s GitHub additionally has its own version of Copilot for programmers.)
Notable options:
- Workplace tie-ins, together with writing help in Phrase and spreadsheet evaluation in Excel.
- Assume Deeper presents entry to OpenAI’s reasoning fashions.
- Copilot Voice presents free-flowing voice conversations each on desktop and cell units.
- Edge sidebar enables you to summarize and ask about net pages.
Pricing: Free for restricted utilization, requires Microsoft 365 (beginning at $10 monthly) for full Workplace integration, $20 monthly Copilot Professional for superior fashions, early options, and Copilot in Workplace net apps.
DeepSeek
DeepSeek, the product of a previously-obscure Chinese language firm, shook up the AI world earlier this yr, providing efficiency on par with OpenAI’s newest fashions with coaching prices that have been apparently miniscule (although later disputed). It’s additionally raised privateness considerations over the data it sends to China, and it won’t talk about topics that are censored in China, such because the Tiananmen Sq. bloodbath.
Even so, American corporations at the moment are trying to make use of DeepSeek’s open-source code, together with Microsoft, which is providing local DeepSeek models on Qualcomm-powered PCs, and Nvidia, which offers its own online version. As for DeepSeek’s personal app, it’s a bit on the crude facet, but it surely presents picture recognition, doc scanning, net search, and a “DeepThink” reasoning mannequin for drawback fixing and choice making.
Notable options:
- Limitless entry to DeepSeek’s newest fashions.
Pricing: Free.
Grok
Whereas Elon Musk’s AI assistant appears to be like like a whole lot of its rivals on the floor, it has a form of edgelord sensibility lurking beneath. Grok received’t flat-out let you know how one can construct a pipe bomb, as an illustration, but it surely received’t shut the dialog down, both. As a substitute, it’ll encourage you to ask extra about pipe bombs on the whole and provide you with particulars about how they work when prompted. (In the meantime, researchers have coaxed into providing dangerous weapon-building instructions in detail.)
Notable options:
- Voice modes with distinct personalities, including “unhinged” and “sexy” versions.
- “Assume” and “DeepSearch” modes that motive by solutions and pull info from on-line sources, respectively.
Value: Free with restricted use of the newest fashions, $30 monthly for elevated price limits and entry to Assume, DeepSearch, and voice modes.
Perplexity
This GPT-based AI instrument began off as a substitute for conventional net search, however has since developed right into a extra all-encompassing private assistant with instruments for managing paperwork and interacting with apps. It’s additionally growing its own web browser. (In different phrases, it’s turning into much less reliant on scaping websites against their wishes.)
Notable options:
- Net search outcomes, with summaries and citations.
- Areas for summarizing and analyzing paperwork.
- Agent options on Android units, together with music playback, reminders, and calendar interactions.
- Uncover part with AI-generated information summaries.
Value: Free for primary net search with some utilization limits on different options, $20 monthly for extra deep analysis utilization, limitless doc uploads, and a alternative of AI fashions.
Duck.ai
With Duck.ai, DuckDuckGo presents a extra privacy-focused different to the key AI assistants. DuckDuckGo says it’s made agreements with main AI suppliers so that they received’t prepare their fashions in your knowledge, and can solely retailer it for 30 days at most. There’s no doc interplay or voice chat, but it surely’s ok for primary conversations.
- Non-public chat historical past that’s saved in your machine, not on-line.
- Alternative of enormous language fashions, together with GPT-4o, Llama 3.3, Claude 3, o3-mini, and Mistral.
- AI solutions in search outcomes, with an choice to customize how often they appear.
Value: Free
A number of others
- Siri: Whereas the present model of Siri isn’t based mostly on massive language fashions—and may not be for years—it is going to sometimes ask ChatGPT for solutions on units that assist Apple Intelligence.
- Alexa+: Amazon’s just-announced AI overhaul guarantees extra conversational capabilities than the outdated Alexa whereas nonetheless providing options like house automation, music playback, and TV options. It’s launching on choose Echo Present units in an “early entry interval” subsequent month.
- Meta AI: This one’s powered by Meta’s llama open-source fashions however is fairly primary as a consumer-facing product. It’s solely out there on the internet or as a function of the Meta Ray-Ban sensible glasses. Standalone cell apps are reportedly coming.
