Many people wonder what an AI tool is. While many people assume that they are complex software, they really are simple. Grasping what they are will cement your place among the greats who will take advantage of the great AI revolution that began several years ago. We now recognize that grasping artificial intelligence including its tools is what will separate the haves and the have-nots in the near future.
The internet courtesy of the burst in AI technologies has seen many people coining different terms for defining AI tools. While these definitions are useful, they tend to miss the mark in help the every-day internet use fully understand the fuss about artificial intelligence. This post breaks down AI tools in a way that is easy to understand.
In long-form an AI tool is an Artificial Intelligence Tool. Therefore, an AI tool is a structure or program that harnesses a large language model to craft or design desired solutions. This therefore brings us to defining what a large language model is. A large language model (LLM) refers to software that accepts instructions from humans or computers and provides output in the form of the natural language that you and I speak. Let’s paint a picture that will help you to understand what an AI tool is and how it relates to a large language model (LLM).
Imagine fishing in an ocean using a canoe or boat and a fishing rod. The ocean, in this case, is akin to a large language model, while the fishing rod is akin to the artificial intelligence (AI) tool. Using this imagination, the ocean comprises of so many resources including different types of fish. The ocean, just like the large language model, is a resource, which when utilized using an artificial intelligence tool (fishing rod), provides useful output or food resources. One would use the fishing rod to capture the fish in the same way one would utilize an Artificial intelligence tool to create pre-determined results. This analogy helps us understand what an AI tool is and its relationship to a large language model. Let us proceed to the next section where we elaborate some popular examples of AI Tools.
Examples of AI Tools
Based on the above analogy, it comes without saying that there are different types of AI tools with their own unique strengths and weaknesses. For example, ChatGPT understands human language and gives output in the form of natural language. To this concept, one can key in a question in ChatGPT and it will provide an output in a manner similar to what we have on different search engines like Google, Yahoo Search, and so much more. This section breaks down the popular examples of AI tools to introduce your mind to popular AI tools.
Listed below are the most popular AI Tools including their features:
OpenAI ChatGPT is an open-source tool that is free for everyone to use. It comprises of three tiers of usage that vary based on features. The section below elaborates the differences:
| Free Tier | Plus Plan | Pro Plan |
|---|---|---|
| $0 per month Provides access to GPT-5 Provides access to websearch, file uploads, voice generation, image creation Limits your usage per day |
$20 per month Provides users with higher limits for file uploads, voice generation, web search, and image creation |
$200 per month Provides extensive use compared to the other two tiers |
Just like OpenAI ChatGPT, Google Gemini provides a free tier for all users with restrictions imposed on usage. The table below sheds light on their packages:
| Free Plan | AI Plus Plan | AI Pro Plan | AI Ultra Plan | Enterprise Options |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Provides access to everyone with a Google Account It provides dynamic limits based on different factors |
It provides paid entry level features | More features and advanced tools | Higher-level features Works best for professional creators and developers Offers more advanced features that the previous three plans |
This package works with Google workspace and is best for organizations |
| Free Plan | Copilot Pro | Enterprise Plan |
|---|---|---|
| This is available for free on numerous platforms including Windows, Mac, Web, Xbox, etc One has access to features such as chat, search, image creation, file uploads, and personalization |
$20 per month Provides access to GPT-5, fast performance, and up-to-date reasoning models |
Integrates Microsoft 365 Pricing is per user per month |
| Free Plan | Free Tier on Grok App/Web | Free API Credits |
|---|---|---|
| It is available free of charge Permits users to make 10 Grok 2 queries every 2 hours and 20 Grok 2 mini queries every two hours It can analyze three images within 24 hours |
Provides users with a limited number of daily interactions with the model Periodic promotions |
xAI provides $25 of free API credits per month |
You can sign up on any of the above AI tools platforms to grasp what an AI tool is.
Read More on the Top AI Tools