Living in the Age of Too Many AIs
Every morning when I start work, my browser opens four tabs by default: ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Microsoft Copilot. Each of these tools has its own world of capabilities, and each claims to be “the most advanced AI assistant” out there. But after months of switching between them for writing, research, and development work, I’ve realized something simple: there’s no single winner.
The real question is not which AI is better overall but which one works better for your kind of work. So instead of another technical breakdown, this is a personal account of how these tools behave in the real world, when deadlines are tight, and creativity is non-negotiable.
ChatGPT: The All-Rounder That Understands Context Best
When OpenAI first released ChatGPT, it felt like magic. Finally, an AI that didn’t just respond to keywords but understood intent. Over time, it has evolved from a text generator into a creative and analytical partner that can help with everything from ideation to technical documentation.
ChatGPT’s real strength lies in context retention. When you carry on a long conversation, it remembers what you said ten prompts ago and adjusts its answers accordingly. For someone like me who jumps between writing blogs, crafting proposals, and debugging Python scripts, this ability to stay coherent over long sessions is invaluable.
Peak capability: Writing and structured problem-solving.
Best use case: Drafting blog content, writing professional emails, summarizing documents, brainstorming campaign ideas.
Pros:
- Intuitive to use, easy to guide with prompts
- Great for creativity-driven tasks
- Supports multiple content styles (formal, conversational, technical)
Cons:
- Web data access is limited unless you have the browsing version
- Sometimes too confident about inaccurate details
Real-world note:
I once used ChatGPT to create a product pitch deck outline for a client. It got the structure perfect on the first try. All I had to do was refine the examples and tone. The final output felt like something a junior marketer could have spent hours building.
Google Gemini: The Researcher That Knows the Web Best
Gemini (previously Bard) is Google’s answer to conversational AI. Unlike ChatGPT, it has direct access to the internet, which makes it ideal for anyone who works with real-time data or needs quick factual insights.
What makes Gemini stand out is its integration with Google Workspace. You can ask it to draft an email in Gmail, analyze data in Sheets, or summarize a document in Drive. It is like having a research assistant who already knows your calendar, documents, and analytics tools.
Peak capability: Research and productivity integration.
Best use case: Getting live data, summarizing web pages, analyzing datasets in Google tools.
Pros:
- Real-time access to the internet
- Seamless integration with Google’s productivity suite
- Good understanding of charts, images, and visual data
Cons:
- Tone can feel robotic
- Some inconsistencies between Gemini mobile and desktop apps
Real-world note:
I used Gemini to research upcoming AWS events in San Francisco for a campaign. While ChatGPT needed specific data pasted in, Gemini pulled everything in one query, including links and schedules. It was fast, current, and efficient.
Perplexity AI: The Research Assistant You Didn’t Know You Needed
If ChatGPT is the writer and Gemini is the researcher, then Perplexity AI is the fact-checker. It doesn’t just give you an answer; it tells you where that answer came from. It lists its sources and even lets you click on them.
Perplexity’s user experience feels like a blend between a search engine and an AI assistant. It’s not chatty but precise, and it’s particularly good at summarizing complex topics from multiple sources.
Peak capability: Summarization and reliable information sourcing.
Best use case: Research, content fact-checking, quick learning.
Pros:
- Always provides citations
- Ideal for research-heavy content
- Clean and simple interface
Cons:
- Less creative or narrative flexibility
- Doesn’t handle multi-turn tasks as smoothly as ChatGPT
Real-world note:
While writing a technical blog about AWS architecture, I used Perplexity to fact-check data consistency across different AWS services. It didn’t just confirm the information but also highlighted new whitepapers that I wouldn’t have found otherwise.
Microsoft Copilot: The Developer’s Silent Partner
Copilot is a completely different category. It’s not built for writers or analysts but for developers who want to code faster. Integrated directly into Visual Studio Code and GitHub, Copilot predicts what you’re trying to write and completes your code snippets intelligently.
Its real advantage is in understanding developer intent. It recognizes context across your project, suggests function names, and even completes test cases. It is like pair programming with an assistant who never gets tired.
Peak capability: Code suggestion and auto-completion.
Best use case: Building applications, scripting automation, and debugging repetitive code.
Pros:
- Seamless integration with IDEs
- Learns coding style over time
- Reduces development time significantly
Cons:
- Sometimes produces outdated or insecure code
- Limited to programming-related use cases
Real-world note:
I was working on a Django API module and Copilot completed most of my repetitive routes automatically. It even suggested input validation logic that I later optimized. It wasn’t flawless, but it saved several hours of coding.
Comparison at a Glance
| Task Type | ChatGPT | Gemini | Perplexity | Copilot |
| Writing & Ideation | Excellent | Good | Limited | Not Applicable |
| Research & Facts | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Not Applicable |
| Coding | Good | Fair | None | Excellent |
| Design Help | Creative | Visual | Research-based | None |
| Business/Marketing | Strong | Fast | Reliable | Not Applicable |
| Real-time Data Access | Limited | Strong | Strong | None |
| Ease of Use | Smooth | Integrated | Clean | Seamless for developers |
Each of these tools is the best in its own domain. ChatGPT is the writer. Gemini is the researcher. Perplexity is the analyst. Copilot is the coder.
How I Use Them Together
After months of working with all four, I’ve stopped thinking of them as competitors. Instead, I use them as a small digital team.
Here’s how my workflow looks:
- Perplexity: Research phase. Gather verified information and sources.
- ChatGPT: Create the first draft or outline. Expand ideas, format structure, and polish tone.
- Gemini: Validate the latest updates or add real-time data.
- Copilot: Automate repetitive code tasks during implementation.
It feels less like using tools and more like collaborating with specialized teammates. Each one saves time in a different way.
Which AI Should You Use?
If you’re a content creator or marketer, ChatGPT will feel like home. It is excellent for structured, creative, and analytical writing.
If you handle research or need live, factual information, Gemini or Perplexity will give you better results. Gemini excels in integrated workflows, while Perplexity ensures credibility through sources.
If you are a developer, Copilot is essential. It makes coding faster and less repetitive, freeing you to focus on logic and architecture.
The Bigger Picture: AI as a Team, Not a Tool
The real takeaway is that AI is no longer about picking one “best” assistant. Each tool now fills a specific gap in productivity. ChatGPT helps you think, Gemini helps you learn, Perplexity helps you verify, and Copilot helps you build.
In my day-to-day work, I often jump between them seamlessly. The experience has made me realize that modern AI is not about competition but collaboration. When used together, these systems can automate half your day and still leave you room for creativity.
Conclusion
There’s a myth that you need to pick one AI tool to master. The truth is, every professional today needs a small AI stack. ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Copilot each represent a different layer of that stack, creation, research, validation, and execution.
The best AI is not the one with the most features. It’s the one that fits naturally into how you work. For most of us, the real power comes when we work together. If you want such an amazing blog, then stay tuned with me