Which is the best AI model?

ChatGPT-4o vs. Gemini vs. Claude vs. Copilot

One of the most common comments I get from people in my AI intro classes is: "Miren, there are so many AI tools I don't even know where to start." Another frequent variation is: "If I were going to pay for just one AI model, which one would you recommend?"

And honestly, I get the worry. Every day, new AI-powered apps come out promising to make our lives easier, but in reality they only fuel confusion and analysis paralysis. 

So in this article I'm going to compare the four titans, ChatGPT-4o, Gemini, Claude and Copilot, to evaluate which of these options is the most powerful across a range of tasks. Specifically, we'll assess each model's performance for information research, creative writing and support with strategic decisions.

1. The best model for finding information

We know that one of the big problems with LLMs is hallucinations, i.e., factually incorrect answers that show up when the models don't have enough information about the question. That's why providing trustworthy information is a good way to gauge an AI tool's quality.

For this first test, we'll use the same prompt across the four models, asking them to look up information on Imanol Pradales, lehendakari (president of the Basque Government). Here are the main differences and traits:

• ChatGPT-4o: gives a well-organized, complete answer. The sources it picks are diverse, although it doesn't justify where each claim came from. 
• Gemini: admits it can't do the task. Gemini is heavily limited when it comes to looking up information online and redirects users to a Google search, probably to protect its own business model and revenue.
• Claude: provides an exhaustive answer, comparable in quality to ChatGPT-4o's. However, the source links aren't clickable, and it acknowledges that Claude doesn't have real-time internet access, so its answer may not be accurate or up to date. Bonus point for being transparent about its limitations.
• Copilot: its answer is also high-quality and accurate, and it cites the source for each statement. It leans on Wikipedia as the main source and occasionally pulls in secondary websites.

So in my opinion, the best AI tool for finding information is Copilot, closely followed by ChatGPT-4o.

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2. The best model for creative writing

For this second exercise, we'll put our four models to the test and ask them to help us write the next edition of my newsletter (which, of course, you can sign up for to get weekly articles on AI applied to marketing 😉). The prompt includes an outline of my article, plus a short guide to my personal writing style.

• ChatGPT: it captures the tone I'm looking for fairly well, but its article is very fragmented and not well stitched together. Some parts are usable, but it requires heavy editing.
• Gemini: overuses emojis and I wouldn't use it as a writing assistant.
• Claude: comes up with interesting metaphors and makes an effort to enrich my outline so it's more digestible for the reader. Even so, it also overuses emojis.
• Copilot: it has been my most reliable writing assistant in recent months, but in this specific example it trimmed and simplified the outline too much, producing a poor result.

So my favorite AI model for creative writing is Claude — a take many internet users seem to agree with. That said: I'd never publish these drafts as-is; they need a lot of editing and stylistic work.

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3. The best model for strategic decision-making

For the third and final exercise, we're going to evaluate the AI models' ability to help us make strategic decisions. Before going on, a warning: whenever we face a critical problem, we can use AI as an assistant, but the responsibility for the decision we make is exclusively ours.

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With that out of the way, we'll take the example of a Spain-based company that wants to expand into new international markets. We'll ask the AI tools to act as the company's CEO and explain the process they'd follow to make this decision. Then each model has to follow its own process and decide which countries the company should expand into.

• ChatGPT: lays out a detailed strategy for making a well-informed decision. It includes specific techniques like a PESTEL analysis and corporate social responsibility considerations.
• Gemini: its answer is also very detailed and thorough, factoring in things like the why behind the desire to expand and whether the company has the capacity to take it on.
• Claude: like the previous two models, it sets out a rigorous process for making this decision and effectively argues which markets it would expand into.
• Copilot: gives the vaguest and simplest answer, although it cites sources for its claims. Its proposals aren't very actionable and don't deliver the clarity expected.

Interestingly, 3 out of 4 models picked Germany as the priority country for expansion, followed by Mexico, the United States and Japan. In this case, I think ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude are equally valuable for strategic decision-making, with Copilot at a noticeably lower level.

A more general comparison

All things considered, which tool do I recommend to start with? No doubt, ChatGPT. It's the most complete and versatile option, both in its free and paid versions. My advice is to master this model first, and start exploring the others once you already have some fluency and command of AI.

With these exercises, I've tested three of the most common uses of large language models. However, I've left many other tools out of the analysis (like Perplexity, Copy.ai, Meta AI, etc.) and, of course, I haven't covered all use cases.

If this comparison piqued your interest, you can keep digging with this Zapier article, which analyzes the best AI models across a wide variety of tasks. In any case, my advice is that, once you've identified the recurring tasks you do with AI, you spend time figuring out which is the best tool for them.

By the way! If you want to keep learning how to use AI in communication and marketing tasks, I have a newsletter where I publish a weekly article with step-by-step guides and updates on the best tools. Sign up now to keep learning!

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