WSJ Tech News Briefing: Which AI Chatbot Should You Use?

Release Date: February 7, 2025

In this episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing, host Pierre Bienname delves into the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence chatbots. The discussion centers around evaluating different AI assistants to determine which ones are worth investing in. The episode features insightful conversations with Wall Street Journal contributor Heidi Mitchell and senior personal technology columnist Joanna Stern, providing listeners with a comprehensive analysis of current AI chatbot options.

1. Exploring Personal Reflection with "Future You"

The episode opens with an introduction to an innovative AI chatbot named Future You, designed not for productivity but for personal reflection. This interactive platform allows users to connect with an AI version of their older selves, fostering introspection and encouraging positive life changes.

Heidi Mitchell's Experience: Heidi Mitchell shares her firsthand experience with Future You, describing her interactions with an 80-year-old AI version of herself.

• Timestamp [01:28]:
  • Heidi Mitchell: “Future Heidi is not a fortune teller... she was like, take care of your health and visit your parents and make sure you're in touch with your friends and Captain Obvious things.”

Heidi emphasizes the platform's role in providing gentle reminders to make beneficial life choices, even if the guidance feels straightforward.

Effectiveness and User Impact: The discussion highlights research underpinning Future You's effectiveness, drawing on the concept of future self continuity. Studies involving 344 young adults demonstrated that engaging with their future selves increased motivation by 16% and strengthened their connection to their future selves by 15%.

• Timestamp [02:31]:
  • Heidi Mitchell: “Connecting to your future self can create these positive outcomes... a strong connection with your future self has been shown that you'll actually take those steps.”

User Base and Data Privacy: Future You has expanded from a few hundred users in the U.S. to 60,000 users across 190 countries. The platform allows users to opt out of data usage for model training, ensuring anonymized data handling.

• Timestamp [03:28]:
  • Heidi Mitchell: “Users can opt out of having their data used by the application, but it is anonymized, it's not used to train the model.”

Business Model: Currently, Future You operates as a non-monetized project, offering free access to its services.

• Timestamp [04:07]:
  • Heidi Mitchell: “There's no cost to using this. It's just a project right now. There's no plan to monetize it.”

2. Navigating the Competitive AI Chatbot Market

Post the Future You segment, the focus shifts to the broader AI chatbot market, where competition is intensifying with numerous options available to users.

Joanna Stern's Analysis: Joanna Stern compares three leading AI chatbots: ChatGPT by OpenAI, Claude by Anthropic, and DeepThink (R1) by Chinese company DeepSeek. Her evaluation emphasizes the importance of not just the intelligence of these models but also the practical features that enhance user experience.

• Timestamp [05:47]:
  • Joanna Stern: “First of all, why do you need one? What don't you need one for?”

Key Features and Functionality:

1. ChatGPT by OpenAI:

   • Strengths: Excellent web access, memory capabilities, and personalized assistance.
   • Memory Feature: Utilizes custom instructions to remember user-specific information, enhancing the relevance of responses over time.
   • Timestamp [09:07]:
     • Joanna Stern: “ChatGPT has given you the ability to put in information about yourself through something called custom instructions... ChatGPT over time is starting to remember things about you, which makes its answers more helpful.”

2. Claude by Anthropic:

   • Strengths: Superior in writing, research, and managing large projects with its unique project feature.
   • Project Feature: Allows users to upload documents and information related to specific projects, enabling the chatbot to provide detailed and context-aware responses.
   • Timestamp [08:07]:
     • Joanna Stern: “Claude is really good at writing, it's really good at research and projects... I have a big project that I'm working on and you can go in and you can upload lots of documents and information about a certain topic or project.”

3. DeepThink (R1) by DeepSeek:

   • Strengths: Advanced reasoning capabilities with the R1 reasoning model, offering a transparent thought process.
   • Concerns: Privacy and security issues due to its Chinese ownership, leading some users like Joanna to opt for hosting through platforms like Perplexity on U.S. servers.
   • Timestamp [09:56]:
     • Joanna Stern: “With DeepSeek, I do have some concerns about privacy and security of the Chinese ownership.”

Comparative Insights: Joanna Stern highlights that while DeepSeek's R1 model showcases impressive intelligence, the practical features and data privacy considerations make ChatGPT and Claude more favorable for everyday users. She underscores that for most users, the essential need is to streamline routine tasks such as writing, research, and email management rather than tackling highly complex problems.

• Timestamp [06:52]:
  • Joanna Stern: “Smarts are important, but these features, the ones that let you take advantage of those smarts, are a lot more important when you're considering which of these assistants or bots you want to pay for.”

Subscription Models: Both ChatGPT and Claude offer pro plans costing around $20 per month, providing enhanced functionalities that cater to professional and personal needs.

3. Conclusion and Recommendations

Joanna Stern concludes that while the intelligence of an AI chatbot is a significant factor, the array of features and how they align with user needs are crucial in determining the best choice. For those prioritizing writing and research, Claude stands out, whereas users seeking robust memory and personalized assistance may find ChatGPT more suitable. DeepSeek presents a promising option in terms of intelligence but raises valid concerns regarding data privacy.

Notable Contributors:

• Pierre Bienname: Host, The Wall Street Journal
• Heidi Mitchell: Wall Street Journal Contributor
• Joanna Stern: Senior Personal Technology Columnist, The Wall Street Journal

This episode provides a thorough examination of current AI chatbot options, equipping listeners with the knowledge to make informed decisions based on their specific needs and priorities in the digital age.