G’day, it’s AB – and here’s the big question: If you had to pick just one AI tool in mid-2025, which one should it be?
It’s a tough call, but let’s walk through the main options and I’ll give you my recommendation.
There are a lot of large language models out there now. Many of them are multimodal – they handle text, images, and sometimes even video. But the number one pick, by quite a margin, is ChatGPT by OpenAI. You can find it at chat.openai.com or just chat.com.
ChatGPT is still the thought leader globally. It sometimes slips off the top of the leaderboard, but it almost always reclaims that position quickly. For those who follow benchmarks and bleeding-edge performance, that’s exciting. For the rest of us, it’s just good to know these tools are constantly improving.
As of mid-2025, we’re still waiting on the release of ChatGPT 5 – promised any day now. For me, ChatGPT remains the best all-rounder.
Its biggest strength? Memory.
That means it can remember previous conversations and pick up on things you like to talk about. It helps you get to the point faster and adds a layer of personal context. I’ll explore that more in another video.
Second place goes to Google Gemini.
Gemini leads in technical areas like code completion, long-form responses and large document handling. It’s free to use and has Plus and Pro plans like ChatGPT. It also supports memory, and really does go feature-for-feature with OpenAI. It’s a fantastic option for coding and general AI use.
Between ChatGPT and Gemini, the free versions alone can get most people through. If you run out of credits on one, you’ve often got enough history or context to keep going with the other.
Third place is Claude, by Anthropic – available at claude.com.
Claude is highly focused on coding. It’s being adopted rapidly by developers for its integration into coding environments. It’s still a powerful large language model, though not quite as multimodal. It can produce some images, but not at the level of ChatGPT.
These three sit at the top of the current field. They offer depth, reliability and a good balance of creativity and control. Hallucinations are rare, and often rephrasing your question will sort them out.
Then we move to the second tier.
- Microsoft Copilot is excellent for text and is built into Microsoft Office tools, but it’s less capable when it comes to images, memory or voice.
- Meta’s AI is also solid, but has similar limitations – no images, no memory, and less natural voice output than ChatGPT.
- X’s Grok is highly targeted. It’s not really a general-purpose tool, but it does a great job with trending topics and social media context.
There’s a growing list of other tools. Everyone seems to be building a chat interface or coding assistant. Many of them are powered by one of the larger models behind the scenes.
One worth a mention is DeepSeek – a strong model with a polished interface at deepseek.com. It’s very capable, though it does have some content moderation quirks, particularly around Western prompts. But most people won’t hit those limits unless they’re doing something highly sensitive.
So, if I had to choose just one AI tool in mid-2025?
I’d go with ChatGPT by OpenAI.
It’s reliably one of the top two performers, and when version 5 finally arrives, the idea is that it’ll choose the best model for you automatically based on what you ask. No more picking between GPT-4, DALL·E, or Code Interpreter – it’ll sort it out itself.
It’s not going anywhere. Despite a few doomsayers, there’s still enormous value in these tools – especially in the top tier. ChatGPT is the best place to start.
Just one tip – make sure you log in. If you use it anonymously, you won’t get memory or saved sessions. Start with the free plan, and you’ll still get a good experience.
Gemini is a strong second option, especially for coders. Microsoft Copilot is already built into Office, which makes it an easy one to try.
From there, you’re looking at more specialised tools – powerful in specific areas, but with more trade-offs.
Give them a go, and all the best.
