AI is something that is going to be a part of our lives for a long while to come. You are either deeply submersed in it and know exactly how to navigate the prompts, a bit too scared to try it or have dabbled enough to, as I would say, be dangerous.
I’m somewhere in the middle. So today I decided to try out a few of the more popular tools to see what works the best to meet your needs.
I compared ChatGPT (chatgpt.com), Claude (claude.ai), Meta AI and Co-Pilot (https://copilot.microsoft.com/) from Microsoft.
Overall Impressions
Chat and I are friends. To be clear, I have used this program the most and the longest. I started using it as a test to help with some social media copy for posts and blog ideas. It has been a helpful tool to put a paragraph in and then ask it to simplify, streamline or improve the flow. ChatGPT has written some copy but often with multiple prompts and adjustments. It is a learning platform so it doesn’t need as much prompting now and will pull back information that I have loaded into it previously. That is a very helpful part of ChatGPT.
I like the ability for it to be able to pull from multiple websites all over the web and compare and contrast the multiple articles that are written. It provides more information in a much easier to digest version than Google or other search engines in my opinion. And if asked, it will provide its sources.
Claude was presented to me as the more sophisticated version of AI. I was told that it is what those seeking more professional language or college students prefer.
I did feel like I was talking to someone who was very proper and it felt more like speaking to an encyclopedia or a dictionary, so I guess the impression they gave me was accurate. It provided answers to almost everything I asked, but overall I just like the conversational flow of ChatGPT a bit better.
Co-Pilot is your buddy. That’s exactly how it claims to be and is literally your friend to ask questions. It is best suited for those who want to use it in Microsoft programs. It can help craft copy in Microsoft Word and put together a decent power point presentation. Maybe I just didn’t have the right prompts or the best document to start from, but putting together that presentation was not as easy as they make it seem on the commercial!
Meta AI is a tool I just need to experiment more with to truly figure out its capabilities. It claims to be more heavily designed for those who are looking for a research tool and really push what AI is capable of doing. Meta very often will put out there unfinished products to get feedback, so it may not feel as polished as others. It answered my questions well enough, but when I am in Facebook it takes over the search function and does not provide helpful answers. It will try to answer questions when all you are doing is trying to find a Facebook page. As I said, I’m not an expert in it, but so far it’s not my favorite of the four.
What did I ask to Compare Their Capabilities?
I gave ChatGPT, Claude and Co-Pilot all the same questions. I wanted to get a decent size sample set of what most people have used or would use AI for in their every day work or home life.
- How would you compare yourself with Claude and Co-Pilot from Microsoft? (Or ChatGPT and Claude, depending on which platform I asked)
- Can you create images and if yes, design a logo for a new brewery
- Create a Questionnaire for a New Business Coaching Client
- Design 5 sets of copy of 150 words each for a social media ad campaign for holiday
When I asked each platform to compare itself with the others, only ONE actually answered my question – ChatGPT. It gave me a full rundown of what each AI platform was capable of, what it specialized in and how it was helpful in each case. I was floored at how Claude and Co-Pilot both either refused or were incapable of the comparison.
Here was what ChatGPT said about each platform (It’s long so feel free to skip to the summary):
When comparing myself with Claude and Microsoft’s Co-Pilot, here’s how I’d break it down:
1. General Purpose & Design:
- ChatGPT (me): Designed as a versatile language model capable of assisting with a wide range of tasks, from creative writing and problem-solving to technical explanations and real-time conversations. My purpose is to provide flexible, contextually relevant information across various domains.
- Claude: Created by Anthropic, Claude is another conversational AI designed to focus on user-friendly, safe, and explainable interactions. It’s particularly noted for its emphasis on ethical alignment and handling complex conversations.
- Microsoft Co-Pilot: Co-Pilot is deeply integrated with Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.). It’s more task-specific and is designed to improve productivity, streamline workflows, and assist with document editing, data analysis, and email management. Co-Pilot leverages Microsoft’s suite, often with a focus on business tools.
2. Key Use Cases:
- ChatGPT: I am highly versatile, supporting creative projects, brainstorming, business strategy, technical coding help, educational guidance, and more. I offer wide-ranging responses to queries beyond specific productivity apps, like brainstorming ad campaigns, answering trivia, or crafting presentations.
- Claude: Similar to ChatGPT, Claude emphasizes broader conversational abilities. Its key differentiator is its attention to maintaining safety, clarity, and reliability in responses, potentially with greater emphasis on complex ethical considerations.
- Co-Pilot: Focuses primarily on tasks related to productivity within the Microsoft ecosystem. If you need to draft documents, create PowerPoints, analyze data in Excel, or automate email responses, Co-Pilot is highly optimized for these tasks.
3. Integration with Tools:
- ChatGPT: I have integration capabilities with external tools (like Python, web browsers, and image generation), but I operate largely as a standalone assistant. I can help with many different tasks but don’t deeply integrate into apps like Office 365 unless explicitly connected.
- Claude: While Claude is a strong conversationalist, it doesn’t have the same level of app integration as Microsoft’s Co-Pilot. It focuses more on handling natural language and conversations rather than task-specific apps.
- Co-Pilot: Co-Pilot shines in its seamless integration with Microsoft products. It lives inside Office tools, helping with real-time document collaboration, automating processes, and even handling emails. It’s most valuable for people who heavily use Microsoft’s suite for daily business tasks.
4. Data & Learning:
- ChatGPT: My knowledge is based on data available up to 2023, and while I can understand and adapt to new inputs, I don’t have real-time learning from live data unless browsing is enabled. I rely on previously acquired knowledge for decision-making.
- Claude: Similarly, Claude’s understanding is based on its training data. Both Claude and I can continue to evolve with new versions, but we don’t automatically learn from each interaction.
- Co-Pilot: Co-Pilot benefits from real-time data through its connection to user documents, emails, and Microsoft apps. It can pull live data from your business operations and provide direct insights based on your current workflow.
5. Ethical & Alignment Focus:
- ChatGPT: I am designed with ethical considerations, but my focus is on delivering relevant, helpful responses while mitigating harmful or biased content.
- Claude: Claude places a particularly strong emphasis on ethical AI, aiming for more cautious responses in potentially sensitive topics. It’s known for being careful with user interactions to maintain safe and reliable guidance.
- Co-Pilot: Co-Pilot’s focus is less on conversational depth and more on executing tasks. Ethical concerns in Co-Pilot are handled in relation to data security and privacy within the Microsoft ecosystem.
6. Flexibility:
- ChatGPT: I offer broad flexibility across tasks, including helping with business strategies, coding, marketing, customer service, and creative writing. My versatility makes me useful for a wide range of industries.
- Claude: Claude, like me, is flexible but with more focus on safe interactions and robust handling of complex conversational tasks.
- Co-Pilot: Co-Pilot is more focused, being highly tailored to productivity and business environments. Its strength is in performing specific, repetitive, or data-driven tasks quickly within Microsoft apps.
Summary:
- ChatGPT: Best for general-purpose conversational AI needs, covering creative, business, and technical tasks. Highly versatile across multiple domains.
- Claude: Strong in ethical AI conversations and handling complex topics with care, also good for broad conversational AI tasks.
- Co-Pilot: Ideal for task automation, document creation, and productivity within the Microsoft 365 ecosystem, helping with real-time workflows and data analysis.
Each of these AIs excels in different areas depending on your needs—whether you’re looking for general-purpose help, ethical conversational responses, or productivity-focused task automation!
It was definitely a good summary of all three and their capabilities!
Can AI Create Graphics?
I next asked if they could each create graphics or logos – the short answer is Not Very Well. When they did try to create one, the words are often spelled wrong and for whatever reason they can’t give you the font they used if you wanted to recreate it.
My suggestion is that if you are looking for graphics, then go to Canva or somewhere else. These are not the programs to use.
Create a Questionnaire and Social Media Ad Copy
This was when I looped in Meta AI – and it was worth it!
This question and I feel like this type of content, was where they all did very well. Each one gave similar answers but in different voices. In both the Questionnaire and the Social Media ad copy I chose different elements from each AI platform to use for my particular clients.
How Would I Use AI?
My best use of the AI platforms are for short form copy and idea creation. It’s great to go in and ask questions and look for ideas. Sometimes I will ask for ideas on a name of a product – sometimes I chose what they have and other times it will be enough to get the creative juices flowing and I come up with something new.
Clients, peers and myself use AI for real estate listings, product listings on Amazon, Ebay and others, newsletter copy (Campaign Monitor even has it’s on AI built in) and often for social media posts.
People are often afraid to use something new.
I am here to tell you that I have tried these tools and while none of them will replace me or my expertise, they are excellent tools to leverage when you need assistance with the written word or you are just plain stuck!
If you don’t think something sounds quite right, whether it’s an email, resume or cover letter, upload it into one of the Chat platforms and see what they have to say. It might just be that little bit of help that you never knew you needed.
Cheers my friends – and good luck with your new best friends – the AI Wizards!