What are the top AI tools?

The top AI tools depend on what you want to do. For most people, the best starting set is: ChatGPT for general writing, research, and brainstorming; Claude for long documents and polished writing; Google Gemini for Google Workspace and web-connected tasks; Perplexity for answer-finding with citations; Microsoft Copilot for Office work; Midjourney or DALL·E for images; GitHub Copilot for coding; Notion AI for notes and knowledge work; Canva AI for quick marketing/design; and Zapier AI for automating workflows.

If you only want one tool, start with ChatGPT. If you work heavily in Google Docs/Gmail, try Gemini. If you work in Word/Excel/PowerPoint, try Microsoft Copilot. If you need research-style answers, use Perplexity. If you code, GitHub Copilot is the most practical specialist pick.