According to Statista “The global number of AI tools users in the ‘AI Tool Users’ segment of the artificial intelligence market was forecast to continuously increase between 2025 and 2031 by 826.2 million (+238.59 percent).
After the tenth consecutive increasing year, the number of AI tools users is estimated to reach 1.2 billion and therefore a new peak in 2031.”
To start my discussion I need to reveal a personal secret.
These last three months have been an obsession of testing every major AI tool that exists. And I mean OBSESSIVELY.
We’re talking 14-hour days, almost $1,200 in subscription fees and more hours than I’d like to admit staring at the outputs of AI. My partner thinks I’m insane and yes? She might be right.
I needed to understand how much of the intense promotional noise about technological revolution and marketing falsehoods and technical friend’s enthusiastic predictions for system change matched the actual market value of time and budget investments.
Academics alone do not drive my interest in this examination.
My future as a content writer depends on these values between making clients offer me higher rates or terminating my services. From a perspective of self-interest you can trust me when I say this.
The findings proved different from what I had expected.
Some tech Twitter darling tools? Pure trash with real world duties. Additional statistical information remains scarce. These disruptive tools have transformed my production by two times its original capacity.
My AI trench experience forms this preliminary report and this report provides plain testimony regarding actual AI functionality without any affiliate promotions or sponsorships during April 2025.
Let’s dive in.
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1. Perplexity AI
Since it came out I have loved AND hated Perplexity. The initial versions of Perplexity existed only as search engines that included a superficial chat interface.
Their most recent software version managed to align with what users needed.
At the end of last month I was tasked with writing a technical whitepaper on semiconductor manufacturing of all things- of which I knew nothing. In the past, that would have meant days of painful research just to get a handle on things.
I got up to speed on Perplexity not only in hours, but in the same hours I was tying the dots between supply chain problems and manufacturing technology that astonished even the technical team of the client.
The distinction is in the citations. The citations demonstrate both their existence and their relevance to specific subject matter. Click through, and you’ll land on the precise paragraph they’re referring to, not just the whole article.
And the interface, at long last, appears to be set up for real humans.
Perplexity Pricing
Different projects can be managed through workspace features where artificial intelligence memorizes question contexts which enables smooth follow-up research without losing prior knowledge.
Is it worth $3–15/month? The service should be used by anyone who performs research or writes. “I already paid for my yearly subscription in order to save time from the first two projects alone.
When it comes to basic facts together with research materials no alternative solution matches its capabilities.
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2. Claude AI
Between(ChatGPT) and Claude exists the following difference: ChatGPT represents the laid-back friend who sometimes overdoes things while Claude embodies the reflective companion who carefully produces useful insights.
To be honest, I was more than ready to count Claude out with the launch of 4o. Then I took both through an exercise in complex scenario planning for a client’s market entry strategy.
ChatGPT provided me with sound, articulate nonsense. Claude took every single assumption, deconstructed the logic of my premise, and actually constructed the structure the client ultimately delivered as a board presentation straight up.
The difference? Claude actually thinks.
Its “reasoning mode” is not just marketing but is in fact really how you can see it processing problems step by step, questioning its own assumptions, and sort of working towards conclusions rather than just pattern-matching to training data.
The novelist or the poet will find ChatGPT still has an edge on the creative writing market. But anything that involves careful reading or a nuanced understanding? My go-to these days is, predictably, Claude, especially if accuracy matters.
Claude AI Pricing
Another game-change is from the enlarged context window. I provided Claude with a 120-page industry report which enabled the system to grasp the entire document while simultaneously discussing page 94 data points with understanding of the executive summary material.
$17/month For Pro plan, it’s a crazy bargain for the depth of thinking it delivers.
3. Midjourney
Since the beginning I hesitated to trust Midjourney because of its overt qualities. They were flashy to look at, but there was always a clear “AI art” style to them that made them of limited interest for a professional artist.
Then V7 dropped in January.
The improvement is difficult to exaggerate. I recently used it to conceptualize some product visualizations for another client pitch- something I would NEVER have considered doing in the past, and the client was totally convinced that we’d hired a professional illustrator.
With V7 the lighting and textures and spatial coherence deliver completely professional standards. Due to its editable nature users can modify specific segments within their content without creating new entire images.
That said, the margin is narrowing. The image generation of ChatGPT-4o is getting better fast, and for a lot of casual use cases, it might be “good enough” that you don’t feel like you need a separate Midjourney subscription anymore.
Until then, though, if you absolutely need to see the media all the time, Midjourney still reigns supreme.
Prepare yourself to learn the specialty command language and tolerate connection delays during periods of high demand.
Midjourney Pricing
With your current perspective do you believe spending $10 for basic services and $60 for Professional monthly payments makes sense? You should get the basic plan if you need customized visuals regularly but refuse to hire a graphics designer.
The $10 monthly plan from Midjourney provides excessive capabilities that surpass what any user would need more than once per month.
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4. Blackbox AI
I am not a coder. The scripts I write work but I cannot create anything from scratch because building new code systems makes me uncomfortable.
At least until Blackbox prevailed.
A customer approached me during the previous month to develop a special tool that would automate their marketing data assessment processes. And back in the day I would have outsourced this. Rather, I told Blackbox what I wanted him to do.
Three hours later I had a tool that was not only useful for the client’s request but I added features they didn’t even think to ask for.
Blackbox’s real strength lies not in its coding capabilities because numerous AI tools offer such automated programming today.
The main strength of this system lies in its ability to understand complete organizational connections and relationships. Blackbox does not only generate functions but it also builds architectural systems.
And when I, as a non real developer, eventually encountered errors, its error debugging was near supernatural.
Blackbox solved problems at their sources while providing functional resolutions which avoided the diversions of Stack Overflow forums.
As someone who codes only part time the product provides a massive advantage to my work.
Other professional developers seem to have split opinions about Google Apps Script, with some declaring strong support and others considering it essential but not groundbreaking.
Blackbox Pricing
The pro plan costs just $4.49 per month and should be chosen by anyone who codes occasionally since it makes perfect financial sense.
5. Google Gemini
Multiple reviews for Google’s AI exist which are well founded. Early Gemini presented itself as an improper mix of hallucinations and restricted use that failed to capture chances.
They deserve acknowledgment for their improvements in technology.
Really, it’s not that Gemini Ultra 2 is the best model (it’s not). Google seems to have discovered its competitive advantage through complete system integration.
Gemini integrates seamlessly into my Gmail and Docs as well as Sheets which eliminates my need to transition between applications.
Users who need to generate quarterly reports from Sheets data can do so within the same platform. The solution allows users to shorten excessively long email threads.
Users can develop whole new presentations by using the software. All features exist within a single click.
System-level integration is even more robust in the case of Android users. The technology delivers native artificial intelligence that will become standard in 10 years by inserting context- based functionalities into screen content regardless of the current app.
Performance, too, is the definition of okay but not great. The system does its job without exceptional creativity but successfully performs standard tasks.
Google Gemini Pricing
The kicker is the pricing. All for 0 for a month and after one month pricing will be 1,950 Rs. for a month. Meaning you’re basically paying approx $20/month for the AI- same of the price rivals are asking.
People who heavily use Google services should consider the convenience aspect as the main reason to utilize this AI technology.
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6. DeepSeek
I gave a dismissive response when a close friend introduced DeepSeek to me. Will the upcoming released open source platform prove to be a failure when people start implementing it? No thanks.
I was dead wrong.
DeepSeek Code-34B isn’t just “good for open source”- it’s genuinely excellent. In a number of coding tasks it actually works as well as models that are 10 times its size, and its permissive license means developers can really build real products with it without getting their lunch eaten on API costs later.
The business benefit lies in keeping data on-site while avoiding extended subscription expenses and acquiring full deployment control.
DeepSeek’s developing ecosystem stunned me the most out of all its developments. Users who need models trained on legal documents can access them from the platform. Medical research? Real estate valuation?
That someone would have already built and shared a well-tuned version of DeepSeek for precisely that use case.
Deepseek Pricing
The downside? Technical experience remains essential for operating DeepSeek since its hosted services cost between $1 to $10 per month while non-hosted users need expertise to run the system. This is not plug-and-play for the typical user.
DeepSeek becomes a suitable choice for businesses facing data privacy challenges because it offers an alternative to commercial solutions that maintains operational effectiveness
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7. Chatgpt 4o
From the GPT-3 era of OpenAI onwards I started paying attention to their achievements. The regular pattern throughout years reveals stunning demo capabilities but mediocre real-world effectiveness.
But 4o? This thing is different.
During a past client call we discussed campaigns when our talk unexpectedly moved into areas I lacked preparedness for. I skipped normal searching by activating 4o’s listening mode through a click.
Within seconds 4o wrote questions that could have come from someone deeply informed about the topic and made me look prepared after doing extensive homework. The client never knew.
That’s where we are now. Listening to this technology gives users access to something beyond mere improvement- it offers an absolute revolution in communication.
Users receive great value from the voice functionality because they only need to subscribe to the service. During my mornings I start answering door knocks wearing EarBud while pursuing writing ideas and helping clients.
These conversations feel natural enough that I might unwittingly give my thanks to the systems like I would a colleague.
Is it perfect? Generate complex imagery from this device and expect to receive nightmare fuel in about one third of responses despite your request. And when pushed outside its comfort zone, it still most certainly hallucinates facts despite what OpenAI says.
Chatgpt Pricing
But for daily productivity? The device has spent countless hours saving me work each week. The Pro-level costs $20 per month which remains too cheap considering the value it deliver
So What One Should YOU Actually Use?
I have been testing everything extensively for several months so here is the straightforward recommendation.
If you can choose only one- ChatGPT-4o provides you with the most complete tool set across text, voice, code, and images. ChatGPT-4o stands strong as a highly capable device which delivers excellent results in multiple tasks.
But honestly? It proves more effective to develop 2-3 specialized tools instead of making a single all-purpose AI system.
My current workflow-
Claude provides accuracy in critical situations where deep analysis or mere accuracy demands exist as you already understand.
ChatGPT-4o for creative tasks and everyday productivity
Here’s why, In the middle of my flights when I want screens that have high resolution.
That’s true, and at the same time you’re paying roughly $75 a month in total. And yes, it’s definitely worth it. The benefits of productivity have 10x’d plus that investment for my company.
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How are professionals actually using these tools day-to-day?
Through conversations with dozens of professionals in different fields, these are the most common patterns that people engage in-
Writers are collaborating with AI to write outlines and first drafts, which they heavily edit to include their own point of view and voice.
Marketers use them to quickly test a variety of angles and approaches before sinking time and money into campaigns
Developers use them to take care of boilerplate and debug errors, thus freeing human creativity to architecture and problem solving.
Designers can quickly explore ideas that they can then iterate on or reference later using MidJourney
Perplexity is used by researchers to do fast auto-regressive filtering on large research dumps before they look through them for reals.
Executives use Claude to bring complex situations into focus and to uncover strategy blindspots.
The most effective users use AI as a collaborator, not a substitute, drawing on its speed and scale while adding human judgment over outputs.
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How do you avoid getting flagged for using AI content?
The truth is, AI detection tools are becoming less reliable as models get better. They give a lot of false positives (labeling human as AI) and false negatives (missing AI).
That said, if you do have qualms about getting flagged-
Think of AI as the beginning, not the end
Add in your own experiences and concrete examples that A.I couldn’t possibly be aware of
EDIT: for keeping same style and voice
So disrupt the pattern from time to time with surprising word choices or sentence structures
Include exclusive perspective beyond what could be found online
I’ve noticed that Claude does generate text that is more “human” on detection tools, probably because of its more diverse and unpredictable writing.
This Changes Everything (No, Really)?
Well, let me tell you this- I have just as much A.I. fatigue as any person out there. Still, taking into account months of research, the answer is It’s exactly as big as the internet is.
As with the aptitude and fluency of the workers, the tools employed are still far from being flawless.
It is described that they hallucinate, they lose orientation, they have blind spots. But they have already started to influence how work is being carried out specifically in some industries for one reason or the other.
But it is getting optimized at a rate that is actually quite scary if you have not adopted this culture.
Last week I spoke to a freelance copywriter who was still holding out on using AI tools. “I want my work to be real,” she said. Meanwhile, her competitors have been using those tools to produce five times the output at the same quality and underbid her rates.
That is the reality of today’s life.
You don’t have to love it. But you do have to adapt.
So What’s Your Next Move?
If you remain here, then I am sure you are a type of person who would like to have some clue about things first. So here’s what I recommend-
Start from #1 with that which you require most-
What about writing, or general productivity? ChatGPT-4o
Research and fact-checking? Perplexity
Thoughtful analysis? Claude
Visual creation? Midjourney
Coding? Blackbox
Already a Google power user? Gemini
Need complete coding? DeepSeek
It would take two weeks to really get the feel of it if you gave it proper attention. Unfortunately, most people leave them too soon or get only a taste of what these tools can offer.
Track your results. Are you saving time? Producing better work? Dealing with problem you never thought existed in the first place?
And only then, you might (or might not) wish to include some other specific gadget into your stockpile.
There is a quote that says, ‘The future is here but it’s not evenly distributed,’ that applies here, the AI revolution is not on the horizon, it already overtook us. It is also making a giant divide that is necessary separating people who can use these tools from people who cannot
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Which side of this do you want to be on?
Let me know in the comments below what AI stack you are running and what you are solving with it. So let’s share our best insights and create a community that the curve will never catch up with.
And hey- if this breakdown helped you see the matrix’s code a bit, follow me for weekly dives into the tools and strategies shaping the future of knowledge work.
One of my next works will discuss how to integrate different AI tools with automated workflows that multiply 10x you while you’re sleeping.
You all want to be there, trust me.
Hell yes. This is not marketing hype- it is an actual leap. The multimodal capabilities aren’t simple bolt-on features; they fundamentally alter how you’re able to interface with the AI in the first place.
Especially transformative, I have found the voice interface. The ability to have long back-and-forth conversations while walking or driving has fundamentally altered my relationship to the tool.
That said, don’t trust OpenAI’s claim of “no hallucinations.” It definitely still makes stuff up, particularly when you try to apply it beyond what it knows best. Be sure to confirm everything.
Then ChatGPT-4o makes the most sense if you are have a little budget and you want a General purpose assistant which can do multiple tasks with a budget of $25/month.
If you are mostly using AI for Google Workspace, for Docs, Sheets, Gmail, then the Gemini Advanced at $20 per month is the better value as it includes 2TB of Google One storage.
For true research, nothing compares to real-time availability of information as is the case with Perplexity Pro for $20/month.
If you’re a bit technical and don’t care too much about your privacy, maybe it’s worth learning how to self host deepseek to save the recurring costs of a subscription.
In many cases, yes- but with some major caveats.
In the case of standard business content (reports, emails, basic marketing copy), the output can be almost indistinguishable from human work with minimal editing.
For creative writing, it’s more of a hit-and-miss. These models are capable of producing some eerily convincing fiction, but they tend to lack the singular voices and original observations that make human writers unique.
Midjourney V7 actually does create professional looking images for visual content, which most of us can't tell is machine-created in many situations.
And the trick is being able to prompt well and edit well. AI draft + human polish tends to produce more human renders than the alternative.
Yes and no.
Some job roles that revolved purely around the production of generic content at scale (very basic blog posts, standardised product descriptions, simple code) are already being radically transformed, with less humans required to produce the same product.
Yet the more complex creative and strategic functions are being augmented rather than replaced. It’s AI plus human, not AI instead of human, that seems to be the winning formula.
The real danger isn’t AI maintaining your same job; it’s that the workers best able to take advantage of AI will out-compete those who resist it, creating a productivity feedback loop that makes AI-resistant workers ever less valuable in comparison.
Both statements are true.
And there’s definitely a learning curve, as you think about the kinds of things you need people to tell you to give you the information you need without endlessly going back and forth. Plan to spend 2-3 weeks really settling in to any new AI tool.
But once you get past the initial phase, the time savings add up. What would historically take hours may be accomplished in minutes, particularly for the tasks of research, drafting and idea generation.
The trick is to be intentional about how you deploy them. Knowing how your customers act is also important as it can prevent you from making the common mistake of asking guides that are too unfocused and spend lots of extra time on the prompting
It varies substantially by domain and date.
In a narrow field such as history or literature, or basic science or math, we can have relatively high levels of accuracy across most major models.
For subfields of technical knowledge, Claude and Perplexity are generally more trustworthy here than elsewhere, with fewer confidently incorrect answers.
We note that only Perplexity (which gives access to real-time data) is reliable for very recent events. The other models all have knowledge cutoffs and can’t be trusted to tell us anything that happened in the last few months.
The golden rule still applies: verify any crucial information, especially if it either impacts business decisions or was something you published. These are tools, not gatekeepers.
