Creative AI has come a long way in the past year, moving from a few AI image generators, ChatGPT and the first AI video signals to a creative ecosystem.
Every major technology company has fully embraced the world of AI products and chatbots such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini can hold their own in everything from developing computer games to writing amazing poems.
We’ve seen the emergence of advanced, natural sounding music with lyrics from companies like Suno and Udio and AI video has become almost unrecognizable.
A few companies in this area stand out from the crowd, often offering amazing unexpected features, a strong community system, or advanced capabilities not found anywhere else and these are the ones we love
The best AI chatbot
Best AI conversation: Claude
In less than a year Claude has gone from being an underdog compared to ChatGPT to one of the most powerful and feature-rich AI productivity platforms on the market.
With Sonnet 3.5 it is capable of advanced reasoning, complex coding, the ability to understand even the most obscure images, and improved sense of humor.
What makes Claude stand out to me as the best AI conversation of the year is the constant updates and new features from Anthropic, among them Artifacts – the best AI feature of the year from any company. This enables you to interact with a game, app, code or image produced by Claude without leaving the interface and share the creation with others.
On top of Projects and the improved user interface, Anthropic has also added a Projects section that allows you to manage multiple types of files and Apps related to a single conversation.
The best AI graphics generator
The best AI graphics generator: Leonardo
Artificial Intelligence image generators became independent in 2024, reaching levels of realism that were not possible before and improving the ability to accurately render text on an image. There are more AI image generators than any other type of product generator and for me, Leonardo stands out as the richest and most original product in a crowded market.
As well as models based on Stable Diffusion to produce complex and photorealistic images, upscaling and even fabric production, Leonardo has his example in Phoenix. What this new generator can do is follow a process unlike anything I’ve tried before. You can specify what you are looking for, even if you have complex questions, and it will provide the correct results.
Other features include video generation from any image, real-time generation and even the ability to create an AI image from a rough sketch instead of a quick scribble.
The best AI video generator
The best AI video generator: Runway
Competition in the AI video production space has grown rapidly in the past 12 months, from Runway as the only AI video production tool, to an increasingly crowded marketplace that includes Pika Labs , Luma Labs Dream Machine, Haiper, LTX. Studio and, at least for filmmakers if not the general public, Sora from OpenAI.
The reason why Runway is my AI generator of the year, despite the crowded market is the fact that it continues to innovate, including a new version capable of impressive degrees both real and video quality. Gen-3 isn’t fully live yet, it’s available as an Alpha release and text-to-video only, but it’s still the best publicly available version on the market.
On top of its impressive video production, Runway’s lip-sync is one of the most impressive I’ve ever used. The site comes with product catalogs and group-based interfaces and you have a wide range of graphics, 3D and audio features available as part of the same subscription.
The best AI music generator
The best AI music generator: Udio
There are many AI music generators and this may be one of the most controversial groups due to concerns, and legal measures, from the music industry. There are generators that use only licensed and tracked music and offer basic features but Udio is the best quality audio, music and voice production out there. publicly available.
It was very close between Udio and Suno, but in the end the ability to put certain elements of a generation into a song while expanding it, changing words and methods with a growing community blew me away. Udio songs also capture the attention of some people who are struggling with them.
Udio is also more controllable than other types. You can use tags to set specific parts of a song as you speak, create different genres and build a song with your own sounds.
The best AI tool
The Try Ray-Ban smart glasses has been upgraded in just a few months from a camera lens with built-in voice assistant features, to a full-fledged AI device that really brings great benefits to your daily life and the sun.
Yes, that $299 price tag might be a little steep for the specs, but the Meta technology inside and regular software updates make these more than worth it. It all starts with a 12MP front camera that takes impressive photos and videos in Instagram-friendly 9:16. Along with this, the impressive built-in speakers and microphone make this great for calling and enjoying music on the go.
But the real beauty comes in its AI, as the smarts unlocked with this interface are huge. For example, during my time in Costa Rica, I was able to check out a tourist site and ask for information about it – which Meta Ray-Bans was happy to provide with information.
Or when we were at a restaurant where I was immediately overwhelmed by a long Spanish meal, I found an audio version of what was on paper. Simply put, this is the best piece of AI equipment you can buy right now.
The best of the AI phone
Best mobile AI: Circle to Search
Think Google Lens, but powered by AI and much faster and easier to use. That’s the basic description of Circle to Search on Android. With a few quick gestures, including drawing a circle, you can ask Google AI what you’re looking at. All without switching to a different device, type or take screenshots.
The AI is very smart, and you may not have realized that Circle to Search actually used AI. But it’s there, recognizing objects and sounds, translating text into something you can read, and answering questions you might have about what’s on your screen. The best part is that Circle to Search is so easy to use that you can activate it without realizing it.
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