The rapid development of AI has led to a surge in the release of advanced AI models by both tech giants and startups. This abundance can make it challenging to discern which models are most relevant and how to effectively utilize them. To provide clarity, the following guide presents a curated selection of the most notable AI models released in recent years, detailing their capabilities and usage.
OpenAI o3-mini
OpenAI’s o3-mini, released in 2025, is an optimized reasoning model designed for STEM-related tasks such as coding, mathematics, and science. Despite not being the most powerful model, it is cost-effective due to its smaller size. o3-mini is available for free, with a subscription required for heavy users.
OpenAI Deep Research
OpenAI’s Deep Research, also released in 2025, specializes in in-depth research on specific topics, providing clear citations. This service is accessible with ChatGPT’s Pro subscription and is recommended for various research purposes. However, users should be aware of the potential for hallucinations.
Google Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental
Google Gemini 2.0 Pro Experimental, released in 2025, excels in coding and general knowledge comprehension. Its extended context window allows for efficient processing of large text chunks. The service requires a Google One AI Premium subscription.
DeepSeek R1
DeepSeek R1, released in 2024, gained recognition for its performance in coding and mathematics. Its open-source nature allows for local running, and it is free of charge. However, concerns have been raised regarding integrated Chinese government censorship and potential data transmission to China.
Gemini Deep Research
Launched in 2024, Gemini Deep Research summarizes Google search results into well-cited documents. It is helpful for students and researchers seeking quick summaries. However, it should be noted that the quality may not match that of peer-reviewed academic papers. The service requires a Google One AI Premium subscription.
Meta Llama 3.3 7B
Released in 2024, Meta Llama 3.3 7B is an open-source model that stands out for its efficiency and affordability. It is particularly adept at math, general knowledge, and following instructions.
OpenAI Sora
Sora, released in 2024, generates realistic videos based on text input. While capable of producing full scenes, it is acknowledged to sometimes generate “unrealistic physics.” The model is available on paid versions of ChatGPT.
Alibaba Qwen QwQ-32B-Preview
Qwen QwQ-32B-Preview, released in 2024, rivals OpenAI’s o1 in industry benchmarks. Excels in math and coding, but Alibaba reports room for improvement in common sense reasoning. The model incorporates Chinese government censorship and is open source.
Anthropic’s Computer Use
Anthropic’s Computer Use, released in 2024, enables task completion on computers, such as coding or booking flights. It is a predecessor to OpenAI’s Operator. Pricing is based on API usage.
x.AI’s Grok 2
In 2024, x.AI enhanced its Grok 2 chatbot, claiming it is “three times faster.” Free usage is limited, while premium plans offer higher usage limits. x.AI also launched Aurora, an image generator capable of creating highly realistic images, including potentially graphic or violent content.
OpenAI o1
OpenAI’s o1 family, released in 2024, aims to provide improved answers through “thinking” and reasoning. It excels in coding, math, and safety but may struggle to deceive humans. ChatGPT Plus subscription is required for o1.
Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 3.5
Claude Sonnet 3.5, released in 2024, is touted as best-in-class by Anthropic. Known for its coding capabilities, it is a favorite among tech insiders. The model is accessible on Claude, with a Pro subscription recommended for heavy users. It can understand images but not generate them.
OpenAI GPT 4o-mini
GPT 4o-mini, released in 2024, is OpenAI’s most affordable and fastest model due to its compact size. It powers customer service chatbots and is suitable for high-volume simple tasks. The model is available on ChatGPT’s free tier.
Cohere Command R+
Cohere’s Command R+ model, released in 2024, specializes in Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) applications. It excels at finding and citing specific information. However, RAG does not fully address the problem of hallucinations in AI. Cohere’s models are designed for enterprise users.
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