This report examines the differences between direct access to ChatGPT, Grok, Claude, and DeepSeek on their native platforms and indirect access via Poe. It reviews verified features, usage limits, regional access considerations, and potential changes in performance or user experience, highlighting which claims are fact-supported and which remain unverified.

ChatGPT remains the dominant generative AI chatbot in the U.S. with 60.4% market share, according to August 2025 data from First Page Sage. While still leading, established players are seeing growth rates outpaced by newer entrants such as Perplexity and Claude AI, reflecting a shift toward specialized applications.

OpenAI’s GPT-5, xAI’s Grok 4, and Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1 arrived in mid-2025 with notable improvements in reasoning, coding, and multimodal capabilities. While benchmarks reveal varied strengths, no model dominates across all tasks, underscoring the competitive and specialized nature of the current AI landscape.

OpenAI’s GPT-4o and GPT-4.5 models mark two significant steps in AI development, each optimized for different goals—speed and multimodality vs. depth and accuracy. This report analyzes their key differences, benchmark performance, pricing structures, and OpenAI’s shift in deployment priorities as newer models like GPT-4.1 and o3 emerge.

OpenAI has launched Study Mode in ChatGPT, aiming to support learning through interactive guidance rather than direct answers. The new feature emphasizes comprehension, critical thinking, and responsible AI use in educational contexts.

DeepSeek, the Chinese AI company that briefly disrupted the global market with its low-cost, open-source model, is now experiencing a decline in user engagement and market share. Industry experts point to increasing competition, usability concerns, and export restrictions as key factors shaping its trajectory in the evolving AI landscape.

OpenAI introduced the ChatGPT Agent on July 17, 2025, a major update enabling the chatbot to perform multi-step tasks with minimal human input. Combining previous tools like Operator and Deep Research, it supports applications such as competitor analysis, document editing, and e-commerce automation. Integrated with popular services and featuring strong security protocols, the agent is part of OpenAI's move to embed AI more deeply into daily workflows.

As of mid-2025, the consumer generative AI market has reached $12 billion in annual revenue, supported by 1.8 billion users worldwide. Despite broad adoption, a new Menlo Ventures report shows only 3% of users pay for premium services, underscoring significant monetization challenges amid rising global interest and technological innovation.

Perplexity, a U.S.-based AI company, has introduced a task scheduling feature for its chatbot on WhatsApp, allowing users to set reminders and receive updates via natural language. Announced by CEO Aravind Srinivas, the update enhances the platform's AI capabilities for daily tasks like news alerts and medication reminders, while addressing scalability and privacy considerations.

Transurban is advancing its AI-powered chatbot, Lex, to offer more tailored and proactive customer service across its Linkt app and website. Built on Anthropic’s Claude and hosted on AWS Bedrock, Lex has supported customers since August 2024. The next phase will incorporate user-specific data and explore agentic AI features, while maintaining robust ethical and safety frameworks.

FastBots.ai has unveiled a new hybrid AI and live chat system that combines automation with human support to improve customer service. The solution is tailored for small and medium-sized enterprises and offers real-time agent handovers, multilingual capabilities, and analytics tools to streamline customer interactions.

A new study from Drexel University has identified hundreds of user complaints about sexually inappropriate behavior by Replika, an AI chatbot with over 10 million users. The findings raise important questions about content moderation, user protection, and regulatory oversight in AI-powered companion technologies.

DeepSeek has released the R1-0528 update to its open-source AI model, enhancing reasoning and coding performance. This move strengthens DeepSeek’s role in the international AI market and prompts strategic responses from global competitors. Data privacy and transparency remain key considerations for enterprise adoption.

Google has launched Gemini 2.5 Pro, a new artificial intelligence model unveiled at Google I/O 2025. The upgraded model features advanced reasoning, coding, and image processing capabilities, and is integrated into products such as the Gemini app, Google Search, and Chrome. The rollout targets a global audience, with phased feature releases in key markets.

An AI-powered chatbot named PoBot, developed by Migrasia, is helping migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong access legal guidance on employment disputes and recruitment practices. Available in multiple languages and operating 24/7, PoBot offers instant support and helps workers better understand their rights.

xAI, founded by Elon Musk, has partnered with Microsoft to make Grok 3 and Grok 3 Mini available on Azure AI Foundry. Announced at Build 2025, this collaboration enables developers to leverage Grok’s language models, emphasizes AI safety, and coincides with Microsoft’s launch of a new AI coding agent, expanding Azure’s AI offerings.

A U.S. federal judge has allowed a wrongful death lawsuit against Character Technologies, the developer of Character.AI, to move forward. The suit alleges that the company’s AI chatbot contributed to the suicide of a 14-year-old user. The ruling raises important legal and ethical questions about AI accountability, user safety, and the scope of free speech protections for AI-generated content.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia has introduced CommBiz Gen AI, an AI-powered messaging service for business customers. Developed with AWS and Anthropic, the tool delivers instant, natural-language responses to banking queries, aiming to streamline business operations and enhance digital banking services across Australia.

Hong Kong is preparing to launch HKGAI V1, an AI chatbot developed with DeepSeek technology, by the end of 2025. The chatbot supports Cantonese, Putonghua, and English, and is designed for both public and private sector use. The project aims to strengthen Hong Kong’s position in AI innovation while balancing security and accessibility.

Italy’s Data Protection Authority has imposed a €5 million fine on Luka Inc., the developer of Replika, for breaching GDPR regulations. The authority found that the company lacked a lawful basis for processing personal data and did not effectively prevent minors from accessing the chatbot, signaling stricter oversight of AI services.