OpenAI
ChatGPT
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant, released in November 2022, that answers questions, writes and analyses text, code, images and files, searches the web and carries out multi-step tasks on the web, iOS, Android, macOS and Windows.
Topic hub
AI assistants
An AI assistant is software that understands natural-language requests — typed or spoken — and responds by answering questions, creating content or taking actions on your behalf. Modern AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini run on large language models, which lets them hold a conversation, work with documents, images and code, search the web and, increasingly, complete multi-step tasks as agents.
This hub covers the general-purpose assistants people use for work, study and everyday questions: what each one does well, what it costs, how they compare and what changes with every new model. Choosing one usually comes down to where you work and which apps you already rely on — our guide to choosing an AI assistant walks through it. For assistants built for speakers, phones and cars, see voice assistants.
Directory
Popular AI assistants
Anthropic
Claude
Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant, first released in March 2023, used for writing, analysis, research and coding in its web, desktop and mobile apps and through Anthropic's API.
Gemini
Gemini is Google's AI assistant, available as the Gemini app on the web, Android and iOS and built into Android, Chrome, Google Workspace and Google Home devices, powered by Google's Gemini family of models.
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Guides and comparisons
Frequently asked questions
What is an AI assistant?
An AI assistant is software that understands requests written or spoken in everyday language and responds by answering questions, creating content or taking actions. Modern AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini run on large language models.
What is the difference between an AI assistant and a chatbot?
A chatbot is any program that holds a text conversation. AI assistants are chatbots with tools: they can search the web, read files, remember preferences and take actions, and they increasingly work across text, voice, images and video.
What are the leading AI assistants?
The leading general-purpose AI assistants include ChatGPT from OpenAI, Gemini from Google and Claude from Anthropic, along with Microsoft Copilot, Meta AI, Perplexity and Grok from xAI.
Are AI assistants free?
Most have free tiers with usage limits. Paid plans such as ChatGPT Plus and Claude Pro cost $20 a month in the US and add higher limits, newer models and extra features.