The year 2023 has ushered in the age of conversational AI. While chatbots have been around for some time, they were often viewed as novelties, generating strangely irrelevant responses or utter failures, such as failing “the Nazi test.” However, all of that has changed since November 2022, when ChatGPT was introduced. OpenAI’s extensive language model became popular, and its competitors started taking AI chatbots more seriously. Tech behemoths like Google and Microsoft have lavished resources and effort in generative AI, including chatbots in their search engines and productivity tools. Independent developers and startups now have access to LLMs through public APIs, enabling them to build their applications easily. As a result, there are currently many conversational AI tools that are just as powerful as ChatGPT, if not better.
Although ChatGPT stands out for its precision, all chatbots lower their guard at times. Keep in mind that the responses provided by these tools might be inaccurate or outdated. Based on several factors, including precision, user experience, availability, and uniqueness, we have compiled and ranked the top AI chatbots available.
1. ChatGPT
As the great Tina Turner said, ChatGPT(opens in a new tab) is “simply the best.” While it was not the first AI chatbot, it is the first chatbot to come with an advanced LLM packed into an easily accessible and user-friendly chat interface. The premium version is backed with OpenAI’s GPT-4, which is so intelligent that it passed the bar exam. However, its human-like responses, which are both informal and informative, are the main reason it is so successful. ChatGPT now has a Bing plugin, enabling it to browse the internet and display updated search findings, whereas, before, its data source was blocked after September 2021.
A free account offers access to GPT-3.5, while the ChatGPT Plus subscription provides GPT-4 for $20 a month.
How does ChatGPT stay so grounded despite its success?
Credit: OpenAI
2. Bing Chat
Thanks to a huge investment in OpenAI, Bing Chat(opens in a new tab) by Microsoft is as sophisticated as ChatGPT. It relies on the same LLM, GPT-4, and is completely free to use. One drawback is the number of messages or turns per conversation, which is currently limited to 30 per conversation or 300 per day. However, that should be sufficient for most people’s requirements.
Bing appears to have more restrictive guardrails in place, resulting in shorter replies or a refusal to explore certain topics. After an odd conversation with New York Times journalist Kevin Roose, Microsoft may have reined in Bing a little. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for free access to an AI chatbot powered by GPT-4, Bing Chat is hard to beat.
For free access to GPT-4, Bing Chat is hard to beat.
