ChatGPT’s competitors and the unique differences between AI chatbots

Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT, it has become synonymous with this new generation of advanced chatbots and the generative text AI that made them possible. However, there are many developers competing in this field who offer different and more unique AI experiences.

Let’s talk about these underrated AI projects and the importance of different chatbot experiences in e-commerce and wider retail tech spaces.

Chatbots the OpenAI gold rush

Firstly, we need to understand why chatbots are so important. The usefulness of chatbots for businesses, especially online businesses, is very well known at this point. They allow cost-effective communication with users can be available 24/7.

Think of the largest online business sectors and their massive audiences who are active at all hours. Sites that run iGaming take thousands of queries on how their many games work, especially after the launch of new slot games where the audience wants to become more familiar with them.

A chatbot can help cover common questions to free up customer support capacity. Using sophisticated, AI-supported chatbots, that service is only going to get better at adapting to context and dispensing useful, relevant information.

There’s a reason why OpenAI’s GPT models have become ubiquitous, especially after their impressive GPT-4 launch. Slack, Shopify, Snapchat, Discord, even Business Insider are all public subscribers to the service, licensing their own chatbots or using them to manage their business.

They were the first mover when it comes to this new technology, with funding from the fintech world’s largest names. What’s more, OpenAI is spearheading a democratic approach to their technology. This only guarantees that new iterations of AI chatbot technology will be developed in the future.

We're launching ten $100,000 grants for building prototypes of a democratic process for steering AI. Our goal is to fund experimentation with methods for gathering nuanced feedback from everyone on how AI should behave. Apply by June 24, 2023: https://t.co/kJG2bNnons

— OpenAI (@OpenAI) May 25, 2023

Bing Chat and Google Bard

The two biggest competitors to ChatGPT are Bing Chat and Google Bard. However, it’s important to recognize that Bing Chat uses OpenAI’s technology, so it isn’t a direct competitor like Google is. That said, Bing’s AI has gone further than ChatGPT in its personality, even having headline-grabbing emotional outbursts.

ChatGPT may be the most popular, sure, but that means it needs to be the most average, safe, arguably bland, which can hold a brand back. Certain brands will want a different user experience for their customer base, which is where a diversity of AI chatbot personalities will be appreciated.

Bard is slightly different, a ChatGPT rival that has Google baked into it. Many believe that these popular AI chatbots are set to become search engines themselves, using their AI counterparts to distil and explain the information they pull from the internet.

Naturally, Google are the best when it comes to dominating the search engine market, so that’s Bard’s USP right now. Google are taking tentative steps with the project, dubbing it an “experiment” currently.

Personalities in chatbots

There are many early projects which are exploring AI chatbots with more personality.

While results are often mixed, projects like Replika and Character AI are currently leading the charge, receiving a lot of coverage for presenting AI capable of more meaningful conversation and companionship.

Replika’s mission statement is just that – companionship, with millions all over the world using custom-trained AI as friends and confidantes. It mixes in some AR too, to put a face to the AI. Character AI is more versatile, a chatbot that can put on personas as needed.

Both highlight AI’s capability to stand out and offer a more personalised approach to consumers, which can be leveraged towards e-commerce and retail applications. When it comes to offering memorable, brand specific customer service, the smaller, subversive AI projects like these are the ones to watch.