What is ChatGPT (and how does it differ from Claude and Gemini)?
ChatGPT was many people's first encounter with AI. What exactly is it, and how does it differ from its competitors?
ChatGPT is a chatbot made by the company OpenAI, built around a language model (see our article "What is a language model?"). You type a question or request in plain language, and ChatGPT replies in plain language — as if you're chatting with someone. Since its launch in late 2022, it has been many people's first hands-on experience with AI.
You can use ChatGPT to write or improve text, get complicated topics explained, write code, create summaries, or just brainstorm. It works best when you clearly state what you want — for example, who it's talking to, in what tone, and how long the answer should be.
ChatGPT isn't the only player. Claude (from Anthropic) and Gemini (from Google) are similar chatbots, also built on language models. The underlying technology is largely the same; the differences mostly come down to nuances like writing style, how cautious the system is around sensitive topics, and which extra features (like uploading files or connecting to the internet) each tool offers. For most everyday tasks, any of the three will get you a long way.
Important to remember: ChatGPT doesn't automatically know everything and doesn't have current news on hand unless it's explicitly able to browse the internet. And as with any language model: always double-check important facts, since the system can generate convincing-sounding nonsense (see our article on AI hallucinations).