AI Text Generators

This list is not exhaustive. These are the apps that are currently powering most writing apps out there, even if the app has a different name odds are high that they are using one or more of the first four apps listed here.

Updated 5/9/2024

ChatGPT

At this point, nearly everyone knows ChatGPT, when ChatGPT 3 came out in November 2022 it made a splash due to its ease of use and creative responses. Since then it has been updated a few times. ChatGPT 3.5 is the free version and can be used through their website. ChatGPT 4 is a more robust tool with more features and more powerful responses. Versions of ChatGPT power various other apps around the internet, but the biggest one is Microsoft CoPilot which uses a version of ChatGPT 4. It has become the model that is often measured against.

Go to chat.openai.com to learn more and try it for yourself.

Google Gemini

Formerly Google Bard, Gemini is one of ChatGPT’s primary competitors. It has similar functions and features but benefits from Google Search and other built in tools. The basic model is similar to ChatGPT 3.5 whereas Gemini Advanced is more in line with ChatGPT 4. In some ways, for certain tasks, Gemini is better than ChatGPT 4. In other ways, it’s not as helpful. It does seem to be more “creative” than ChatGPT 4 but your mileage may vary.

Go to gemini.google.com to learn more and try it for yourself. 

Claude

Probably one of the least known of the big LLMs out there, Claude 3 Haiku, Claude 3 Sonnet, and Claude 3 Opus are the three apps it provides at this time. From fastest and least “intelligent” to robust and possibly even more accurate than either ChatGPT or Gemini, Claude is a strong contender for better interactions with AI. 

Go to claude.ai to learn more and try it for yourself. 

Llama

Another relatively unknown player in the AI field - but made by one of the other major tech companies - Meta. However, Llama stands apart from the others in one important way - it is open sourced and can be downloaded onto local machines and tweaked and edited to perform a broad array of functions for researchers, personal use, and the like. Llama powers functions in Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp, but it also appears in many other programs - usually centered on chat features.

Go to llama.meta.com to learn more and try it for yourself.

Grammarly

Grammarly uses its own AI LLM. It is a weaker, less robust tool than the others, but useful for helping with fixing errors in essays. In my experience, students use this one the most for plagiarism - which is not the best because it is 1) the most easily recognizable as “AI written” and 2) not really the best at writing. 

Go to grammarly.com to learn more - the app has some free features and some paid features.

Perplexity.ai

Perplexity stands apart because, it is powered by multiple AIs which the user can switch between. It also cites and links to the sources that it uses in its responses to questions. It’s a pretty cool tool for getting into research. It has both free and paid models.

Go to perplexity.ai to learn more and try it for yourself.