Tools like ChatGPT, Poe, and Claude.ai, have the potential to supercharge creativity and productivity. These tools excel in generating various types of content, from blog posts to social media updates and marketing materials. They can serve as valuable brainstorming partners, responding adeptly to requests like ‘Give me ten ideas for functional nutrition blog topics.’ Additionally, AI proves to be a significant time saver when crafting emails, proposals, or business correspondence. While it may take some practice to fine-tune the results, the boost in productivity can be truly remarkable. It’s kind of like having a very helpful intern available 24/7.

It’s important to note that any AI chatbots are still highly susceptible to bias and hallucination (AI will confidently generate false information), so it’s crucial to check your facts. Avoid using them for dispensing professional advice, such as matters concerning medical, financial, or legal issues.

Bing/Bing Chat/Copilot

It’s a little confusing, but Microsoft has some nifty tools that are built on ChatGPT.

Bing is Microsoft’s free search engine. Bing Chat is the conversational AI component of Bing – but this functionality is being rebranded as Copilot. You can ask complex questions, find comprehensive answers, get summarized information, find inspiration, all in one results page. Since this chatbot is connected to the internet, it has the ability to provide you with up-to-date information, which is another capability that ChatGPT’s free version doesn’t boast. Bing is free to use, and there is a free version of Copilot (see below).

Copilot
At the consumer level, Copilot is integrated into the Bing search engine, making it freely available for anyone. In addition to the link provided, you can access Copilot on the Bing website homepage. What makes Copilot cool? Choose from three conversation styles: Creative for a friendly, conversational tone; Balanced for a mix of precision and creativity; or Precise for concise and accurate responses. Ask complex questions, find comprehensive answers, access condensed information, and draw inspiration—all from a single page that presents both past and present internet postings. For instance, using the prompt, ‘Design a sample diet and lifestyle questionnaire for a nutrition client’ generates over 20 useful questions across various categories, covering a broad range of pertinent intake inquiries. Should you completely rely on AI results? No. However, they can provide an incredible jumpstart for your work. Copilot Pro, the premium version, gives you priority during peak times and integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 apps, including Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint and OneNote.

ChatGPT 

Known for it’s balanced, no-nonsense approach, ChatGPT, is an extremely useful tool that becomes your ally in communication once you adapt to guiding it effectively. With its natural language prowess, ChatGPT seamlessly aids content generation and customer interactions. Best of all, it comes at no cost, making it an affordable treasure for solopreneurs aiming for advanced language AI capabilities. You can use the free version (3.5) of ChatGPT to create engaging marketing content for social media, product descriptions, or emails. It’s handy for automating responses to common customer queries, ensuring consistent communication. Whether brainstorming ideas or streamlining customer interactions, ChatGPT is a valuable tool to enhance your business communication, but keep in mind the data used to train it only goes up to 2021. If it’s important to you, you can use the free version without needing to sign up and create an OpenAI account.

UPDATE 5/14/24 : OpenAI has introduced GPT-4o, a new AI model that brings the possibility of a Samantha-like AI voice assistant from the movie “HER” closer to reality within ChatGPT. The “o” in GPT-4o stands for “Omni,” representing the model’s multi-modal capabilities, which means it can understand and generate content in various forms, such as text, images, and audio. While ChatGPT 3.5 remains free, accessing GPT-4o requires a ChatGPT Plus subscription at $20 per month. The subscription includes features such as web browsing, code interpretation, file and image uploads, the ability to store conversations and context, access to GPTs and the GPT store, and additional tools like DALL·E and advanced data analysis. Users can access GPT-4o through the ChatGPT website and the new desktop app for Mac, with a Windows version to follow later this year. The model is also available through the API, although without the extra modalities like image and video understanding at the moment. Note everything in this launch video has been delivered, but it’s pretty amazing.

UPDATE 7/1/24: The OpenAI ChatGPT app for Mac brings the convenience of AI assistance directly to the desktop, allowing users to access ChatGPT’s capabilities with a seamless, native experience. It features enhanced functionality and integration with macOS, making it easier for users to interact with and benefit from AI in their daily tasks. The mobile app also boasts impressive verbal functionality, enabling users to engage with ChatGPT through voice commands for an even more intuitive experience.

Poe

Poe stands out in the AI landscape, focusing on creative content creation and boasting seamless integration with other AI models, including ChatGPT, GPT-4, Claude 2, DALLE 3, and millions more. Poe AI offers a basic version for free, albeit with limitations on features and daily messages. For users seeking more advanced features, two subscription plans are available: a monthly plan at $19.99, which includes a one-week free trial, and an annual plan at $199.99. With its ability to harmonize with various AI models, affordability, and flexible pricing options, Poe emerges as a unique and cost-effective solution for solo entrepreneurs seeking to enhance their creative writing endeavors.

Claude.ai

Claude.ai offers a versatile, cost-effective, and efficient tool to help with a wide range of tasks, from writing and research to analysis and brainstorming. Its engaging communication style – it is known for its “warmer” style of interaction – strong ethics, and 24/7 availability make it a valuable asset for entrepreneurs looking to streamline their workload and focus on critical aspects of running their business. One of Claude’s standout features is its ability to accept uploads of PDFs and large amounts of data, allowing users to leverage the AI’s capabilities to process, analyze, and extract insights from their own documents and datasets. Claude can significantly augment and accelerate your work. 

UPDATE 7/1/24: Claude 3.5 Sonnet is the latest release in the Claude 3.5 model family, surpassing previous models and competitors in intelligence and graduate-level reasoning. Available for free on claude.ai and the Claude iOS app, it features enhanced speed, state-of-the-art vision capabilities, and a new Artifacts feature for dynamic content creation and editing. Subscribers to the Claude Pro and Team plans benefit from higher rate limits and priority access during peak times.

Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI is an AI assistant that aims to enhance the traditional search experience by merging online search with advanced language models like GPT-4. Unlike standard search engines, Perplexity AI provides ad-free results – not littered with Google ads – that cite the sources used to generate the answers. This can be particularly beneficial for users seeking reliable, up-to-date information, as Perplexity’s search engine scans the web to deliver the latest relevant data. 

While Perplexity AI is not a complete replacement for Google Search, it offers several key advantages. By leveraging the power of AI, Perplexity can provide more personalized, contextual responses that go beyond the typical list of search results. Additionally, Perplexity’s focus on information reliability and transparency can make it a valuable tool for users who want to avoid the sponsored content and potential misinformation that can sometimes appear in standard search engine results. By combining the best of traditional search with the capabilities of modern AI, Perplexity AI presents an innovative solution for those seeking a more reliable, ad-free (at least for now), and informative search experience.

Perplexity AI offers both a free version and a premium “Pro” subscription plan for individual users. The free version provides access to Perplexity’s core features and benefits without any cost. For those seeking more advanced capabilities, the Pro plan is available for $20 per month or $200 per year, which includes unlimited file uploads, access to powerful AI models like GPT-4, dedicated support, and increased usage limits. Perplexity also provides a 7-day free trial of the Pro plan, allowing users to test out the advanced features before committing to a paid subscription.

Awesome perk: Perplexity.ai zaps those pesky commercials off YouTube videos right in your search results!