Introduction to AI models

Comprehensive introduction to AI models and assistants: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, DeepSeek, Llama, Qwen, Mistral, and others; strengths, weaknesses, and applications of each. If you do not know which one to start with, Model selection guide Read.

An "assistant" like ChatGPT is not the same as a "model" and an "API". Review dates and official sources are provided on each page; Read the difference between these.

ChatGPT

OpenAI · USA

OpenAI assistant for writing, file analysis, imaging, and tool use; Chat section models are not identical to the Work, Codex, and API options.

Bundled service Review: Oct 30, 2026 General and everyday useContent generation

Claude

Anthropic · USA

Anthropic's assistant for text, coding, and document work; the 5.5 and Fable 5.1 families must be reviewed according to access levels.

Bundled service Review: Oct 30, 2026 ProgrammingLong document analysis

Gemini

Google · USA

Google's assistant and multimodal family; the Gemini API list now includes Gemini 4 Argon and 3.8 generation models.

Bundled service Review: Oct 30, 2026 Google ecosystem usersVideo and image analysis

Grok

xAI / SpaceXSI · USA

Grok assistant for conversation and tool use; the current main model in documentation is Grok 4.7, and live search requires a separate tool.

Bundled service Review: Oct 30, 2026 Following real-time newsSocial media trend analysis

DeepSeek

DeepSeek · China

The DeepSeek family now includes V4.1 Flash; the online version, API, and weight execution do not have the same costs and conditions.

Open weights Review: Oct 30, 2026 ProgrammingMath and reasoning

Llama

Meta · USA

Meta's open-weights family; approved downloadable Llama 4 models include Scout and Maverick and have a proprietary license.

Open weights Review: Oct 30, 2026 Building products on open modelsFine-tuning

Qwen

Alibaba Cloud · China

The Alibaba/Qwen family includes generation 3.8 and local and cloud models; Qwen3.8-Max with downloadable weights is not the same as that family.

Combined Review: Oct 30, 2026 Local executionProgramming

Mistral

Mistral AI · French

The Mistral family now officially includes Large 4, Small 4, and Medium 3.5; not all models have the same license and access method.

Combined Review: Oct 30, 2026 Privacy-sensitive organizationsLightweight and fast models

Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft · USA

Microsoft's family of assistants for general use and enterprise work; Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Cowork, and GitHub Copilot must be recognized separately.

Bundled service Review: Oct 30, 2026 Administrative tasksWorking with Office files

Perplexity

Perplexity AI · USA

Source-backed search and answer service; the web product, Sonar model, and Agent API are not the same thing and must be evaluated separately.

Bundled service Review: Oct 30, 2026 Research and searchFact-checking