Top 9 Generative AI Applications and Tools

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Generative AI applications and tools are solutions for generating original content based on training from massive AI models. The largest technology companies in the world and nascent AI startups alike are releasing new generative AI solutions. These new generative AI releases debut on what feels like a minute-by-minute basis, making it difficult to keep up with this emerging technology.

To provide a comprehensive look at the generative AI tooling landscape, we’ve compiled this product guide of the top generative AI applications and tools.

These generative AI tools were selected based on their current popularity and accessibility, their relevance and/or uniqueness to the market, and their potential for growth and AI innovation in the near future.

Read next: Generative AI Companies: Top 12 Leaders

Also see: 100+ Top AI Companies

How Do Generative AI Tools Work?

Generative AI tools use AI models — or the tools that are built upon these foundations — to generate unique, original content in various forms, including text, audio, images, videos, and 3D models.

Generative AI tools are trained by natural language processing, neural networks, and/or deep learning AI algorithms to ingest, “understand,” and generate responses based on input data. Successful generative AI models are only possible with massive amounts of relevant, clean, ethical, and unbiased training data.

Learn more: What is Generative AI?

Generative AI Apps and Tools: Table of Contents

• Comparison Chart: Generative AI Tools and Applications
• 9 Best Generative AI Applications and Tools
  • GPT-4
  • ChatGPT
  • AlphaCode
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Bard
  • Cohere Generate
  • Claude
  • Synthesia
  • DALL-E 2
• FAQ
• Bottom Line: Generative AI Applications and Tools

Comparison Chart: Generative AI Tools and Applications

The best generative AI tools cover a wide range of functions and business use cases, though many of the most prominent tools today are large language models (LLMs) and/or content generation tools.

Take a closer look at the top generative AI tools in this category in our comparison chart below:

9 Best Generative AI Applications and Tools

GPT-4

GPT-4 is OpenAI’s latest iteration of its Large Language Model (LLM), developed following the success and widespread adoption of GPT-3 and GPT-3.5. Compared to previous iterations, GPT-4 is advertised as being more creative and accurate while also being safer and stabler.

Interested users can join the API waitlist for GPT-4, but even before they gain access to the API, they can reap the technology’s benefits with public access to ChatGPT Plus. Many of the other top generative AI vendors on this list have built their products on a GPT-3 or GPT-4 foundation.

Key Features

• Large multimodal model.
• Accepts both image and text inputs.
• Emits text-only outputs.
• Engine behind ChatGPT Plus.
• Available via ChatGPT and API waitlist.

Pros

• This latest release is much more stable than any previous generation of GPT.
• GPT-4 has scored highly on various standardized exams, including the bar exam and several AP tests.
• GPT-4 has received more extensive safety checks and training than previous versions, including pre-training data filtering, expert evaluations, model safety improvements, and frequent monitoring.

Cons

• Image inputs are not currently available for public use.
• With the rapid growth of OpenAI and its technology, there are still questions about the technology’s stability and overall safety.
• GPT-4 has improved but still clearly shows bias in many of its outputs.

Also see: ChatGPT: Understanding the ChatGPT ChatBot

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is OpenAI’s most popular tool to date, giving the everyday user free access to basic AI content generation. For users who require more processing power, early access to new features (including GPT-4), and other benefits, ChatGPT launched its pilot paid plan, ChatGPT Plus, in March 2023.

Most recently, OpenAI has announced experimental support for ChatGPT AI plugins. These plugins are designed to expand the tool’s computation and coding capabilities while also giving the tool access to post-2021 information.

Key Features

• Ability to save and access conversation history.
• Optimized for human dialogue with RLHF.
• API available for developers who want to integrate ChatGPT into their apps and products.
• Payment via credit card for ChatGPT Plus.
• AI plugins available for browsing the internet, using Python to interpret code and manage uploads and downloads, and using third-party plugins.

Pros

• ChatGPT is one of the only free and easily accessible content generation tools for the general public.
• With the tool’s API, developers can embed ChatGPT functionality into their own apps and products.
• ChatGPT Plus is available for international purchase and use.

Cons

• The tool does not access current events or data from after September 2021, though newly announced plugins may fix that.
• The free version of the tool can occasionally be buggy, requiring users to close and reopen the window.
• ChatGPT can generate inaccurate and occasionally offensive outputs, though each iteration of the tool has improved in these areas.

AlphaCode

AlphaCode by DeepMind is one of the foremost problem-solving and coding solutions in the generative AI space. With 41.4 billion parameters, the transformer-based language model is larger than many other language models, including OpenAI Codex. AlphaCode has been trained in various programming languages, including C#, Ruby, Scala, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Go, and Rust, but its strongest capabilities are in Python and C++.

Through pre-training on GitHub code repositories, CodeContests fine-tuning, sample generation, and filtering and clustering, AlphaCode is able to solve complex problems similarly to a human programmer.

Key Features

• Transformer-based language model.
• Smart filtering after large-scale code generation.
• Dataset and solutions available on GitHub.
• Access to approximately 13,000 example tasks for training.
• Programming capabilities in Python, C++, and several other languages.

Pros

• Extensive research, training, and testing have gone into developing this tool.
• AlphaCode has outperformed any other AI coding solution in competitions against human programmers, ranking in the top 54% in simulated Codeforces competitions.
• AlphaCode can be accessed for free on GitHub.

Cons

• Though it’s performing more competitively than any other AI problem-solving and coding tool, it’s still only outperforming about half of its human competitors.
• Requires significant computing power and data to be successful.
• False positive rates have decreased significantly but still exist at around 4%.

GitHub Copilot

GitHub Copilot is the first of the Microsoft Copilot technologies to hit the market and has seen great success. The tool is designed to transform natural language prompts into code recommendations for all languages in public repositories. For languages like JavaScript that are widely used, GitHub Copilot is able to generate a wide range and quantity of coding suggestions.

Copilot can be used on an individual or a team basis and is priced accordingly. The tool is available as an extension for Visual Studio and Visual Studio Code, Neovim, and JetBrains IDEs.

Key Features

• Available in Copilot for Individuals and Copilot for Business packages.
• Natural language prompts converted into code.
• Multi-line function suggestions.
• Organization-wide policy management and corporate proxy support in Copilot for Business.
• Context- and style-based coding recommendations with user editing and selection capabilities.

Pros

• Built on the extensive capabilities and data sets of OpenAI Codex and GitHub public repositories.
• Copilot is able to block any suggestions that match public code.
• A free trial is available for the Copilot for Individuals plan, and the plan itself is fairly affordable.

Cons

• Limited capabilities when it comes to supporting users on new APIs, frameworks, or libraries of code.
• The tool can get buggy if you don’t effectively divide up your code and name your function parameters.
• Though safeguards are in place, it’s possible to get personal data outputs with GitHub Copilot.

Bard

Bard, considered Google’s response to ChatGPT, is a chatbot and content generation tool that runs on LaMDA, a transformer-based model that Google launched a couple of years ago. The tool is currently considered a Google Experiment and is only available to a limited number of users in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Though some of its features are relatively limited compared to ChatGPT, the tool is quickly growing its capabilities. For example, in late April 2023, Bard was updated to support programming and development requirements like code debugging, generation, and explanation.

Key Features

• Built on Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA), a transformer-based model.
• User-based response rating system.
• Accessible via personal Google accounts.
• Currently available to limited US and UK users through a waitlist.
• Capable of supporting programming and software development tasks.

Pros

• A product of Google’s ethical and transparent approach to AI development.
• Thousands of testers were involved in training and providing feedback to Bard before it was launched.
• Bard pulls its information from the internet, meaning its responses are less likely to be outdated than ChatGPT’s.

Cons

• Bard does not currently have the conversational history features that ChatGPT does.
• Users cannot access this tool through a Google account that’s managed by a Google Workspace admin.
• Bard is only available in English currently, whereas ChatGPT is available in multiple languages.

Also see: ChatGPT vs. Google Bard: Generative AI Comparison

Cohere Generate

Cohere Generate is a text generation solution from Cohere, a fast-growing AI startup with leadership members that previously wrote and worked on Google’s now-famous Transformer paper. Many of the use cases advertised on Cohere’s site focus on product management and sales, digital marketing, and similar goals, but the tool can be used for software development tasks and other business requirements as well.

Though Cohere is perhaps lesser-known than OpenAI and the bigger tech companies on this list, it has grown quickly into a company that’s estimated at around $6 billion in enterprise value. Cohere counts Spotify, HyperWrite, BambooHR, and Glean among its customers.

Key Features

• Copy content generation with a marketing and sales focus.
• Free rate-limited usage available in Cohere’s playground.
• Ad and blog copy creation.
• Product description writing.
• Compatible with public, private, and hybrid cloud environments.

Pros

• Cohere Generate can take over many basic blog writing tasks.
• Generates content to match a brand’s voice.
• Cohere’s Command model is an easy-to-use API.

Cons

• The marketing and sales focus of Cohere Generate may be limiting for other business use cases, though the tool is capable of handling enterprise and developer use cases.
• Cohere’s Generate model is more expensive to embed than many of its other models.
• Cohere’s model is not currently reaching the levels of accuracy that GPT-3.5 and GPT-4 have attained.

Claude

Claude is one of the latest AI chatbot assistants and content generators that’s offered by Anthropic, an AI startup now worth approximately $5 billion. The tool is similar to ChatGPT, but it was specifically designed to be more focused on safety and a customizable, conversational tone. Many early users have praised Claude’s abilities when it comes to comedy, creative content generation, and generally absorbing feedback about communication style.

Claude’s early partners and testers include Quora, DuckDuckGo, Robin AI, and Juni Learning. Claude is also part of the foundation for Notion AI, the generative AI assistant that was recently added to the Notion project management platform.

Key Features

• Relies on Constitutional AI approach.
• Available in Slack.
• The product is offered in two different versions: Claude Instant and Claude (classic).
• Backend API is available for developers.
• Support for a variety of commonly spoken languages and used programming languages.

Pros

• Appears to have a larger context window than OpenAI models.
• Red-team prompts have been included in Claude to help prevent it from generating harmful content.
• Claude almost seems to be self-aware and gives detailed explanations to users when it cannot answer a question.

Cons

• Harmful requests can still get through if the user contextualizes their request as a fictional scenario.
• Claude is not available in a free version format.
• Claude is unable to access the internet.

For more information, also see: Top AI Startups

Synthesia

Synthesia is an AI video creation platform that allows users to create videos based on their own scripted prompts. From there, the tool is able to use its library of AI avatars, voices, and video templates to create a realistic-looking and sounding video. As a bonus, users don’t have to have any of their own video equipment or video editing skills in order to use this tool.

Synthesia is most commonly used to create product marketing, training, and how-to videos for both internal and external users. For customers who need additional resources to get started, Synthesia offers a library of example videos, a help center, and Synthesia Academy tutorials.

Key Features

• Over 125 AI avatar characters are available.
• Over 120 languages and accents are available.
• Users have the option to create their own AI avatar.
• Pre-built video templates are offered to users.
• Integrations include Intercom, Mindstamp, PowerPoint, WordPress, Vimeo, and HubSpot Knowledge Base.

Pros

• Prospective buyers can try out the tool with one free AI video.
• Videos can be created in 120+ languages.
• The tool is widely considered easy to use and accessible.

Cons

• Occasional bugs in the authoring environment.
• Audio can be a little off unless you pay for the more expensive plan option.
• Some users have had difficulties with customer support.

DALL-E 2

DALL-E 2 is OpenAI’s latest iteration of its image and art generation AI tool. With DALL-E 2, users have the option to put in a prompt to generate a new image or add an existing image and prompt to edit the image in a certain way.

Compared to DALL-E, DALL-E 2 is said to be generating more photorealistic imagery that better matches user requests. An additional plus, DALL-E 2 appears to have received more training than its predecessor on how to decline inappropriate inputs and avoid creating inappropriate outputs.

Key Features

• Natural language inputs for image and art outputs.
• Outpainting feature lets users expand on existing images.
• Inpainting feature makes it easier to request edits to an image.
• Several variations of an original image can be created.
• DALL-E API for developers.

Pros

• DALL-E 2 has 4x greater resolution than DALL-E.
• OpenAI has taken steps to improve the safety and appropriateness of DALL-E 2 generations by removing explicit content from the training data.
• Developers can integrate DALL-E into their own apps and products now; DALL-E already has several customer success stories in this area.

Cons

• Originally offered with free user access, users must now purchase credits to generate new content.
• Though these capabilities are now much more limited, inappropriate images can still be generated with certain workarounds.
• Complicated requests can generate inaccurate images.

On a related topic: Top Natural Language Processing Companies

FAQ: Generative AI Apps and Tools

Generative AI is such a new field, generating questions among both tech experts and laymen. These are some of the questions that most commonly get asked about generative AI tools today:

What are real-world applications for generative AI?

Though generative AI has most commonly been used for text generation and chatbot functionality, it has many other real-world applications and use cases. Other applications of generative AI technology include image generation, music and audio generation, synthetic data creation, code building, career coaching, drug discovery and predictive studies, and customer service. Learn about the top generative AI startups and the different ways they’re using this technology.

What industries can benefit from generative AI tools?

Many industries can benefit from generative AI tools. The more generic content generation and chatbot solutions support a wide variety of business use cases, while other, more specific solutions are being developed to serve healthcare, pharmaceutical, retail, sales, and other specific industries and sectors.

Learn more: Generative AI Examples for Key Industries

Should your company use generative AI tools?

Whether your company should use generative AI tools is a question only your leadership, your tech team, and the rest of your employees can answer. If there’s a specific use case or way in which a generative AI tool can improve your internal processes, it’s a great idea to invest in one of these tools while they’re still free or relatively low-cost.

However, keep in mind that it is important for your company to establish usage rules ahead of time, especially as it relates to data security and uploading proprietary information into any of these tools.

Bottom Line: Generative AI Applications and Tools

Generative AI applications and tools can fulfill a variety of project requirements and tasks for both professional and personal use cases. And with so many tools currently available with free trials and limited versions, now is the time to test out these applications and determine if they can optimize your business operations.

Regardless of the generative AI tool(s) you decide to invest in, the most important first step you can take is to communicate with your employees about the investment and what it means to the company. Generative AI currently can’t and shouldn’t be adopted to take over employee jobs; instead, it’s a great supplement for research, coaching, and creative content generation.

Teach your staff how to use this technology responsibly and effectively, and you’ll be surprised by how much generative AI is able to improve existing processes and work.

For more information, also see: Top AI Software