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With artificial intelligence slipping into our lives for everything from text editing to image and video creation, we look at 10 free generative AI tools that can re-shape how you live and work.
These are all tools that you can start using today, and all are geared towards beginners — where little more than a few sentences can start producing results for you.
Underpinning generative AI is large language models (LLMs) — an ever-growing variety of them are employed by chatbots and tools to deliver answers for whatever requests you throw at them.
The truth is, you don’t need to be an AI researcher or expert prompt engineer to benefit from generative AI. Tools like ChatGPT, Bing, Gemini, Jasper, Copy.ai, Quillbot, and Dall-E 2 are all LLM-powered tools that are easy for new users to experiment with.
Key Takeaways
Top 10 Generative AI Tools You Need to Know
1. ChatGPT
ChatGPT is the most well-known AI chatbot on the market and is extremely easy to use. Simply enter a written query or prompt and press enter, and the solution will use natural language processing (NLP) to scan your input and generate a written response.
This tool is a general-purpose AI assistant, meaning the user can ask questions as part of a back-and-forth conversation or use it to create written content such as articles, emails, lists, poems, songs, code, and stories.
To start using it, visit https://chat.openai.com, sign up, and begin asking your new AI friend any questions you like, and start to experience the power of AI.
It’s worth noting that ChatGPT can hallucinate or make up facts, so it’s essential to fact-check any information it gives you.
2. Microsoft CoPilot
Microsoft CoPilot is Microsoft’s search-engine chatbot based on the GPT-4 LLM, available via a sidebar in the Edge web browser, as well as on desktop on Windows 11. With CopIlot, you can enter search queries with text or images or conduct a voice search, and CoPilot, with an assist from Bing, will respond with a written response or image, depending on your query.
One of CoPilot’s main selling points is its capabilities as a search tool. It uses training data connected to the Internet, which means you can ask it questions about current events and news like a search engine.
When responding, it also includes a list of sources and relevant links so that you can conduct further research into a given topic. The chatbot can also create AI-generated images upon request.
3. Google Gemini
Google Gemini, previously known as Bard, is Google’s conversational chatbot and AI assistant, built on the PaLM2 LLM.
The user interface is simple and easy to use. Just enter a query via text or voice, and Gemini can respond with text, images, and videos based on content from Google Search.
Gemini will respond to each prompt with three drafted responses, which you can change between to get the most comprehensive response for your needs. It’s also connected to the Internet, meaning you can use it to summarize other online content and current events.
The chatbot’s integration with Adobe Firefly also means it can be used to create AI-generated images.
4. Jasper
Jasper is an AI-driven copywriting assistant that uses a proprietary AI model alongside third-party models like GPT-3 to help users create brand-conscious content.
This chatbot is designed to generate text replicating a brand’s tone of voice to create content for marketing collateral such as web pages, emails, adverts, sales listings, and blogs.
By entering a written command, you can create new documents or scratch or use existing templates. The assistant will respond with text output. You can craft the output response by entering a content description or brief and providing details on your tone of voice and keywords.
The key difference between Jasper and other tools, like ChatGPT and Bard, is that it focuses on producing marketing content rather than conversational text output.
5. DALL-E 3
DALL-E 2 is an AI tool released by Open AI, which uses GPT-3 and deep learning to convert text prompts into images. To use it, create an account on the OpenAI website, enter a prompt into the search bar, and DALL-E 2 will generate an image.
If the design isn’t quite right, you can choose other variations. Once you find the right design, you can share and save it.
The image output quality will largely depend on the depth of your initial prompt, so it’s worth trying to give as much detail as possible for DALL-E 2 to process.
DALL-E 2 is a popular image generation tool because it is easier to use than more complex ones like Midjourney.
While DALL-E 3 exists, it is only available as a premium model, although some third-party services such as Microsoft CoPilot allow you to use it for free.
6. Quillbot
Quillbot is an AI assistant that uses natural language processing to paraphrase a piece of text.
Essentially, the user enters a piece of text into a prompt box located on the Quillbot AI website, and then the chatbot will check the content for grammar and suggest ways to improve it.
Users can choose between paraphrasing text, summarizing written content, checking grammar, and generating citations based on their needs.
Quillbot is helpful for those who want to produce and proofread fluid, easy-to-read personal and commercial content.
7. Reclaim
Reclaim is an AI scheduling app that can identify the best time for meetings, tasks, or breaks. Users can connect to Google Calendar and automatically schedule meetings while blocking time for rest and even travel if necessary.
Users can also integrate to-do lists created with third-party tools, including ClickUp, Todoist, Asana, Jira, Linear, and Google Tasks. Users can also create and add tasks to the calendar directly via Slack messages.
This app is a good fit for users and teams that want to optimize their calendar availability with automated scheduling while preserving their work-life balance with regular break periods. Techopedia has also recently explored other AI scheduling assistants.
8. Ada
Ada is an AI-powered medical assistant that checks symptoms. It has been trained on clinical evidence to help users track their symptoms. For example, users can grade the severity of their symptoms and view medical guidance on the treatment options available.
The solution includes a condition library, which provides a central repository of health conditions that users can refer to for further information.
One peer-reviewed study found that Ada was significantly more accurate in recognizing inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) than physicians, scoring 70% compared to 54%, and was even more accurate than physicians in suggesting the final diagnosis.
That being said, it’s important to highlight that assistance from generative AI apps is no substitute for support from a trained and licensed medical professional. As such, these tools are best used alongside guidance from a qualified physician.
9. Fireflies
Fireflies is an automated note-taking app that can automatically transcribe and summarize virtual meetings in over 69 languages. Simply invite Fireflies.ai Notetaker to meetings on your calendar, and you can start creating transcriptions of meetings on platforms including Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meets, and Webex.
Once you’ve created a recording, you can use an AI-powered search to filter for keywords and talking points. Users can also add comments, pins, and reactions to transcriptions and share them with other users via third-party apps like Slack, Notion, and Asana.
10. Clara
Clara is an AI virtual assistant for scheduling meetings. It can be given a custom email signature and job title and used by adding the chatbot to an email via the cc option.
Once added to the conversation, the chatbot will schedule a meeting with your contact in natural language on your behalf. This includes automated follow-up emails.
After organizing the meeting, Clara can send you an invite with the event details. This helps to save a lot of back and forth when arranging the meeting with other recipients.
In addition, you can also issue commands to Clara to help manage meetings. For instance, you can tell Clara to automatically send a reminder to all participants 24 hours before scheduled meetings or enter codewords to notify them when a meeting is urgent.
The Bottom Line
Experimenting with our picks of the best free Generative AI tools will help to inspire you to find new ways to use AI to enhance your professional workflows. Ultimately, the results you get will depend on the level of detail you enter into that first prompt.
