Beyond ChatGPT – Some incredible AI tools that you might have not heard of
Grok
Grok, the AI chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, has recently gained traction, especially after going viral with the Ghibli Pictures trend. While earlier Grok models were open-source, the latest version — Grok-3 — remains proprietary and serves as xAI's flagship model. Integrated directly into X (formerly Twitter), Grok-3 was trained using ten times more computing power than its predecessor, Grok-2. xAI offers both Grok-3, which emphasizes accuracy, and Grok-3 Mini, optimised for speed — though most users may not notice a significant difference in day-to-day use.
Founded in 2023, xAI aims to "understand the true nature of the universe" — a mission Elon Musk set forth after parting ways with OpenAI. Musk's departure stemmed from disagreements over OpenAI's growing emphasis on political correctness, its shift away from a non-profit model, and what he perceived as increasing opacity.
Grok's interface sets it apart with features like 'Deep Search,' 'Deeper Search,' and various 'Think Modes.' It supports a wide range of tasks, including research, image generation, how-to queries, data analysis, and code creation. According to a recent Counterpoint report, Grok-3 was trained using a staggering 200,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs — showcasing its scale — while rivals like Deepseek R1 achieve similar performance with just 2,000 Nvidia H800 GPUs, highlighting efficiency over brute force.
Manus
Manus is one of the earliest full-fledged AI agents designed to perform a wide range of tasks with minimal human input. Unlike traditional chatbots that rely on continuous prompting, Manus is built to function largely autonomously. Its advertised capabilities include trip planning, schedule management, stock analysis, video course creation, comparative analysis, and podcast editing, among others.
Developed in China, Manus has sparked conversations about the country's rapid strides in AI innovation. However, the platform is not without its limitations — users have reported occasional inaccuracies and execution issues. Access was limited with a long waitlist but has recently opened up as the company has expanded capacity. There is a free plan which does give you some decent level of access although you might have to spend around $20 a month for the basic paid plan.
Out of all the AI tools I have used recently, Manus is one of the most fascinating. I just built an application to calculate USD to INR currency conversion rates in Python within minutes. It even deployed to a public website for me to access and I didn't even have to write a line of code. This might be paving the way for AGI or Artificial Generational Intelligence.
Mistral AI
Mistral AI, the French company behind Le Chat—a local alternative to ChatGPT and Grok—positions itself as the world's greenest and leading independent AI lab. It remains the most prominent European contender in the generative AI space. Mistral offers both free and premium models with tiered pricing and recently partnered with Microsoft to distribute its models via the Azure platform.
A notable feature in Le Chat is the ability to connect your Google account, allowing the AI to summarize your emails and meetings. The company asserts that this personal data will not be used for training purposes. Additionally, Le Chat supports the creation of custom AI agents to help automate a variety of tasks.
Claude AI
Claude, developed by Anthropic AI, is a key competitor to OpenAI's ChatGPT series, with a strong emphasis on AI safety and research. Anthropic was founded by former OpenAI members who left the company over concerns about the direction and safety of AI development. While the free version of Claude offers capabilities comparable to ChatGPT's free tier, the Pro version offers more usage and access to more Claude models. Claude.AI seems to be a favourite amongst developers as it offers code generation, Github support and help with refactoring.
Qwen
Qwen is Alibaba Cloud's large language model and a growing competitor to ChatGPT. While several of its earlier models have been open-sourced, the most advanced versions remain proprietary—a strategy that's increasingly common among leading AI labs balancing openness with commercial advantage.
LM Studio
LM Studio is a free user-friendly app that lets anyone run AI chatbots on their own computer without needing the internet. You can try popular open-source models like Mistral or Llama securely and privately. It's great for exploring AI locally, whether you're curious about chatbots or just want to use AI without sending data to the cloud.
Go ahead, try the above tools today, and see which one suits your tastes and preferences more. There is a platter of LLMs to choose from these days!
Authored by: Varun Krishnan
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
26 minutes ago
- NDTV
Godfather Of AI Warns Technology Could Invent Its Own Language: 'It Gets Scary...'
Geoffrey Hinton, regarded by many as the 'godfather of artificial intelligence' (AI), has warned that the technology could get out of hand if chatbots manage to develop their language. Currently, AI does its thinking in English, allowing developers to track what the technology is thinking, but there could come a point where humans might not understand what AI is planning to do, as per Mr Hinton. "Now it gets more scary if they develop their own internal languages for talking to each other," he said on an episode of the "One Decision" podcast that aired last month. "I wouldn't be surprised if they developed their own language for thinking, and we have no idea what they're thinking." Mr Hinton added that AI has already demonstrated that it can think terrible thoughts, and it is not unthinkable that the machines could eventually think in ways that humans cannot track or interpret. Warning about AI Mr Hinton laid the foundations for machine learning that is powering today's AI-based products and applications. However, the Nobel laureate grew wary of AI's future development and cut ties with his employer, Google, in order to speak more freely on the issue. "It will be comparable with the industrial revolution. But instead of exceeding people in physical strength, it's going to exceed people in intellectual ability. We have no experience of what it's like to have things smarter than us," said Mr Hinton at the time. "I am worried that the overall consequence of this might be systems more intelligent than us that eventually take control." Mr Hinton has been a big advocate of government regulation for the technology, especially given the unprecedented pace of development. His warning also comes in the backdrop of repeated instances of AI chatbots hallucinating thoughts. In April, OpenAI's internal tests revealed that its o3 and o4-mini AI models were hallucinating or making things up much more frequently than even the non-reasoning models, such as GPT-4o. The company said it did not have any idea why this was happening. In a technical report, OpenAI said, "more research is needed" to understand why hallucinations are getting worse as it scales up its reasoning models.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Anthropic CEO throws shade at Mark Zuckerberg's billion-dollar AI talent hunt with dartboard dig: ‘You can't buy purpose with a paycheck'
Culture Over Cash You Might Also Like: Billionaire Vinod Khosla predicts AI teachers will disrupt education and careers. Here's how — BigTechPod (@BigTechPod) The AI Hiring Wars: A Battle for Brains Buying Purpose? Not Quite, Says Amodei In the escalating turf war for top AI talent, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has delivered a pointed, and slightly humorous, critique of Meta 's aggressive recruitment tactics. Speaking on the Big Technology Podcast, Amodei painted a vivid picture: "If Mark Zuckerberg throws a dart at a dartboard and it hits your name, that doesn't mean you should be paid ten times more than the guy next to you who's just as skilled."His remarks come amid widespread reports of Meta launching an all-out offensive to poach AI engineers from rivals like OpenAI, Apple, Google, and Anthropic itself. Yet Amodei claims his startup has remained largely untouched. 'Some [employees] wouldn't even talk to Meta,' he said, asserting that their culture and mission are more attractive than any compensation package Meta can has reportedly been dangling massive offers, with some packages surpassing $200 million for a single hire, according to Business Insider and WIRED. Amodei, however, says Anthropic refuses to match such sums, insisting on fair and consistent pay across the board."I recently posted in our company Slack that we will not compromise our compensation principles or fairness if someone gets a big offer," he shared. In his view, rewarding one employee disproportionately just because they were on Meta's radar would be unjust to their equally capable this stance, Meta has managed to lure away at least one former Anthropic engineer—Joel Pobar—but Amodei suggests their broader impact has been latest AI moonshot, the Superintelligence Lab , has ignited a fierce scramble for elite minds. OpenAI's Chief Research Officer Mark Chen likened it to a break-in after losing several staffers overnight. Meanwhile, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman accused Meta of deploying 'giant offers' to lure talent, with some signing bonuses rumored to top $100 is unapologetic about the ambition. In an internal memo seen by CNBC, he claimed, 'Developing superintelligence is coming into sight,' declaring his goal to bring personal AI to every individual, not just enterprise Meta may have the resources, Amodei questions whether mission-driven AI work can be bought. 'Zuckerberg is trying to buy something that can't be bought,' he said during the podcast, underscoring Anthropic's long-term focus on safe and ethical AI sentiment resonates with other industry leaders too. OpenAI continues to frame itself as a purpose-first organization, while Meta's flashier, big-money moves risk creating tension even within its own teams. As CNBC reported, some insiders at Meta worry that a talent-heavy, cash-fueled approach could lead to ego clashes and fractured the current AI landscape, where demand far outpaces supply, the value of a skilled AI researcher is rivaling that of a professional athlete. Yet, for companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, the real challenge isn't just retaining talent—it's maintaining a sense of purpose amid the frenzy.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
After first India showroom, Tesla's ‘supercharging' station in Mumbai from Aug 4
Weeks after kicking off its operations in India, Tesla is now gearing up for its 'supercharging' station, that roll out on Monday, August 4. Tesla's first India showroom was opened last month in Mumbai. Tesla owners can plug in their vehicles and check stall availability through the Tesla app. (REUTERS) With operations set to start in Delhi as well, the Elon Musk-led company is working towards launching its charging station at One BKC in Mumbai from August 4. As per reports, the charging station will include four V4 Supercharging stalls (DC chargers) and four Destination Charging stalls (AC chargers). The superchargers will offer a peak charging speed of 250 kW at ₹24 per kWh. The AC chargers will be priced at ₹11 per kWh with an 11 kW charging speed. Tesla said the "Model Y can add up to 267 kilometres of range in just 15 minutes with Tesla superchargers, enough for five return trips between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai and Gateway of India". Also Read: Tesla to pay $243 million over fatal autopilot crash Tesla app to show stall status, track charging, and handle payments To use the chargers, Tesla owners can plug in their vehicles and check stall availability through the Tesla app. The app also allows users to track charging, get alerts and make payments. The Tesla Model Y is available in India in two versions, RWD and Long Range RWD. The RWD version is priced at ₹59.89 lakh and the long range model costs ₹67.89 lakh. The on road prices are ₹61.07 lakh and ₹69.15 lakh respectively. The RWD variant is offered with a 60 kWh or 75 kWh battery pack. It runs on a single motor generating around 295 hp. The 60 kWh battery has a claimed WLTP range of 500 km, while the long range version offers up to 622 km on a full charge. According to Reuters, the company had put its India entry plans on hold in 2022 but restarted efforts last year, looking for showroom space in major cities. Its launch comes as Tesla deals with falling global sales and growing competition in the EV market.
