Where do I even begin? That is one of the most asked questions when it comes to AI. The amount of different AI models is insane and they are rapidly evolving. It is daunting to figure out what models are actually good and what to use when. That is why we have made this video to explain exactly to you what you need to know.
The Current AI Landscape
AI chatbots and assistants have experienced insane growth since late 2022, with some platforms gaining over 100 million users in mere months. As of May 2025, the competition between major AI players has intensified, creating a rich ecosystem of options for users with varying requirements and preferences. These powerful tools can generate human-like text, process images, create code, analyze data, and increasingly perform complex reasoning tasks that were once exclusive to human intellect.
Understanding AI Foundations
Before diving into specific platforms, it's essential to understand that modern AI assistants operate on large language models (LLMs) trained on vast datasets of text and other media. Different models have varying capabilities in multimodality (handling text, images, audio, and video), context length (how much information they can process at once), and specialized skills like coding or data analysis. For the average user, most of these things won’t make a massive difference and it all comes down to personal preference. But, it is important to at least know the capabilities of others.
Reasoning is another term that gets used a lot within AI. The easiest way to understand reasoning is just by its name: “Reasoning”. Instead of giving you a reply solely based on your input, it actually reasons and analyzes the data before responding. This will give you more thought through responses. This is mostly used for more complex questions that involve different steps and data.
Major AI Platforms Compared
ChatGPT by OpenAI
OpenAI's ChatGPT is one of the most popular models currently. It’s easy to use interface with great capabilities make for a perfect match for beginners. The current GPT-4o model is your standard pre-trained LLM and will be used for most cases. The o3 model is the reasoning model from ChatGPT, which can be used for the more intricate questions. The other models function somewhat similar, the best thing to note is that any model with GPT in front is (Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) pre-trained and any other model likely includes reasoning.
Link: chatgpt.com
Google's Gemini
Google has been making big strides to catch up to some of the leading AI company’s and they have done so quite well. It works the exact same as ChatGPT where the 4o model is similar to Gemini 2.0 Flash and the 2.5 models are close to o3. Gemini does offer great integration with different Google services.
A small mention to Gemini 1.5 Flash that can process 3000 images at a time, analyze an hour long video and listen to hours of audio. This is however only accesible through the ai studio from Google.
Links:
gemini.google.com
aistudio.google.com (for Gemini 1.5 Flash)
Claude by Anthropic
Anthropic's Claude is another strong contender, especially if you care about AI safety and getting more thoughtful responses. Their latest, Claude 3.7 Sonnet, is pretty capable. It’s good at breaking down complicated questions and can show you its reasoning, which is handy. If you're looking for an AI that's a bit more transparent in how it "thinks" or handles nuanced tasks, Claude is worth a look. They also have options for developers.
Link: claude.ai
Le Chat by Mistral AI
Mistral AI, a company from France, offers Le Chat. It's known for being fast, especially with its "Flash Answers" feature. Beyond just chatting, Le Chat is pretty good at handling documents – think PDFs, spreadsheets, and even pulling text from images. If you need quick processing or document analysis, this could be your go-to. They also offer tools for image creation and coding.
Link: chat.mistral.ai
Perplexity AI
Perplexity AI is a bit different; think of it more like a super-powered research assistant. When you ask it questions, it doesn't just give you an answer, it also shows you the sources where it found the information. This is awesome if you're doing homework, writing a paper, or just want to check where the AI is getting its facts. If you need answers with backup, Perplexity is great.
Link: perplexity.ai
Additional AI Models
Deepseek
Developed in China, Deepseek made headlines in early 2025 with rapid advancements in both reasoning and multimodal capabilities. Its v3.1 model particularly stands out for coding tasks and STEM problem-solving.
Link: chat.deepseek.com
Qwen
This emerging model offers unique strengths in multilingual processing (handling 10+ languages) and specialized domains like audio analysis and financial forecasting. The Qwen2.5-Max version even understands tables and spreadsheets for data-heavy workflows.
Link: chat.qwen.ai
Grok by xAI
xAI's Grok is making waves with its no-nonsense approach and real-time knowledge from the X platform. The latest Grok 3 model shines in tackling complex math and science questions, even offering a "Think" mode that shows its step-by-step reasoning. While currently limited to X Premium+ subscribers, it's positioning itself as a strong alternative to ChatGPT for research-heavy tasks.
Link: x.ai
Llama by Meta
Meta's Llama stands out as the most powerful open-source option available. The massive Llama 3.1 405B model rivals paid alternatives in coding and multilingual tasks, while smaller versions like the 70B offer solid performance for everyday use. Developers appreciate its flexibility – you can fine-tune it for specific needs or run it locally for privacy-focused projects.
Link: llama.com
Running Your Own AI Model
For those interested in greater customization, privacy, or specialized applications, running your own AI model locally or on private infrastructure represents an increasingly accessible option. Our video explores the practical steps, hardware requirements, and software frameworks needed to deploy personal AI systems.
Tutorial Link:
Conclusion
At the end of the day, it's all down to personal preference. What works for me might not work for you, and that's totally fine.
The cool thing about AI in 2025 is that there's something for everyone, whether you're trying to write a book, debug some code, dig deep into research, or just mess around and see what these things can do. This video's meant to give you the starting points, but the real magic happens when you start playing around with them yourself.
Each of these platforms has its own quirks and strengths, and honestly, the best way to figure out which one clicks for you is to jump in and try them out. Pay attention to which interface you like better, which pricing model makes sense, and what features you find yourself using the most. AI is always changing, so stay curious, keep experimenting, and you'll find the perfect tool (or tools) for your needs.
Just remember: It's not about finding the "best" one, it's about finding the one that helps you do your thing.
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