AI GUIDEMeet the main AI services without choosing a winner
You do not need to follow every model release to start using AI. First recognize a few widely encountered services, their providers and the difference between an application and the models inside it. This is an orientation checked on 1 November 2026, not a market-share ranking or a promise of availability in your country.
Names you are likely to encounter
ChatGPT is OpenAI's conversational application; its official guide distinguishes conversation from larger work tasks. Gemini is Google's assistant, with documented text and media capabilities and connections to Google's wider products. Claude is Anthropic's assistant, whose product overview emphasizes work with information and tasks. Microsoft Copilot is Microsoft's assistant offering; its exact relationship to Microsoft apps depends on the product and plan.
These descriptions identify product families, not exclusive abilities. All four overlap substantially. “Claude is for text” or “Gemini is only search” would be a misleading shortcut. Do not assume that a Microsoft feature is included merely because another product is also named Copilot.
You may also encounter DeepSeek and Mistral's Vibe, formerly Le Chat. They are additional examples, not the complete market. Some providers also distribute model weights under particular licenses. That is a different way to build or run a system, not a requirement for a beginner to install anything.
Compare the things that affect your task
Begin with a service you can access and understand. Check whether it accepts the input you need, whether it can show the relevant sources, which data settings apply, and what limits or costs the current account has. A connection to a familiar document service may be convenient, but only if you want to grant that access.
Provider demonstrations show what the provider offers; they are not neutral proof that its system is best for you. Different versions and account types can behave differently. This lesson deliberately gives no numerical price table or “best model” verdict; inspect the official offering when the decision actually involves payment.
Worked comparison you can run
Use the same fictional message in two accessible assistants: “The book club meets for 45 minutes. We want everyone to speak. No date has been set. Propose an agenda and list open questions.” Do not include names or contacts.
Compare whether each preserves the unknown date, proposes a reasonable structure and separates suggestions from facts. Time your own review if useful. One pleasing response does not establish a general winner; it only helps you choose for this small task. If one assistant invents a date, correct it and check whether the repair actually works.
Exercise
Choose one service and write down its provider, official address, your intended first task and one account condition you still need to check. You pass when you can distinguish that service from a model name and explain why it fits the task without repeating an advertising claim.
Next: A04, your first conversation. No subscription purchase or technical setup is required by the lesson itself; actual service access depends on the provider's current rules.
Sources
Read the original sources to explore the topic and check specific claims.