AI stopped being a sci-fi concept or a distant reality a few years ago - it's now a part of our everyday lives. And we don't mean just basic voice assistants that handle our reminders or algorithms that shape what we watch or buy online. Since the pandemic, the demand for (and supply of) sophisticated AI-driven tools has increased, reshaping global industries and workplaces. In 2024, the global AI market crossed the $115 billion mark, driven by the rapid AI adoption to boost productivity and improve decision-making in businesses.
Among many AI tools crowding the market today, ChatGPT leads the charge, setting a benchmark for generative AI (genAI). Other popular AI tools like Cursor, Google Translate and DeepSeek are also emerging as strong players in the generative AI domain.
In this post, we'll discuss some top AI tools based on their monthly user visits, risks, and why they're becoming an integral part of our modern workflows.
List of the top AI tools by user base
Here’s the list of top genAI tools used by billions of people worldwide to streamline their workload and improve time management.
Rank
Top AI tools
User base (monthly visits)
Segment
1
ChatGPT
5.6 billion
Chatbot
2
Canva
1.1 billion
Design and image
3
DeepSeek
647.6 million
Chatbot
4
Google Translate
580.7 million
Translation
5
Character.AI
215.2 million
Chatbot
6
JanitorAI
185.3 million
Chatbot
7
Perplexity
174.1 million
Search engines
8
Grok
160 million
Chatbot
9
Gemini
154.3 million
Chatbot
10
Claude
128.9 million
Chatbot
11
Microsoft Copilot
114.3million
Chatbot
12
Remove.bg
103 million
Background design
13
QuillBot
99.1 million
Writing
14
Grammarly
91.4 million
Writing
15
Duolingo
89.1 million
Education
Understanding the popularity of AI tools
ChatGPT has been in the spotlight since its launch in November 2022, but many other top AI tools are stealing user attention. In January 2025, DeepSeek’s R1 model created quite a buzz for its efficiency, performance, affordability, and low development cost compared to ChatGPT. Whether it outperforms ChatGPT in the future is debatable.
Today, genAI tools are widely used across global industries and have transformed the way businesses and individuals perform their tasks:
Healthtech industry: GenAI tools support faster, accurate diagnostics and provide patients with personalised treatment plans based on their medical history and test reports.
Content and marketing: Top AI tools like ChatGPT and Canva enhance content creation, ad targeting, and customer engagement. They enable brands to deliver hyper-personalised messages and optimise campaigns using real-time data.
Retail and supply chain operations: Some generative AI tools also help with inventory management and real-time tracking of goods, which reduces manual efforts and operational costs.
Education: If you’ve used Duolingo - one of the most popular AI tools for learning languages - you might have experienced a personalised approach. It adapts to each user’s pace and style, making lessons more engaging and effective.
Personal use: You might have already used Meta’s AI in WhatsApp and Instagram, which offer smart replies, auto-translation, and personalized content. These features make messaging more intuitive and provide responses based on your input or queries.
What sets these popular AI tools apart from others?
Popular AI tools like ChatGPT, Canva, Claude, and others can handle tasks faster and more accurately by mimicking human intelligence. They offer several benefits over traditional AI tools like Alexa and traditional Google search. Plus they also do the following:
Reduce human error: The top AI tools automate routine processes - data collection, addressing consumer queries, and data analysis - and help reduce human errors caused by oversight, improving overall accuracy.
Enhance customer experience: Quick responses and personalised interactions in the e-commerce and fintech industries keep users actively engaged and improve consumer response and satisfaction.
In-depth research and analysis: AI tools can quickly collect and analyse data from search engines and academic collections, offering deep insights into the required topics. Manually, such research would take much longer.
Risks associated with AI tools
While these top AI tools offer many advantages, they also come with risks that can’t be ignored.
Bias: GenAI tools learn from existing data, which can contain hidden biases or discrimination. As a result, the output can favour certain groups or ideas, leading to unfair results or recommendations.
Hallucinations: Sometimes, AI tools generate inaccurate information. This can mislead users, especially when the output looks confident but is actually false or invented. It's more common that you'd think.
Deepfakes: AI tools can, of course, generate highly realistic but fake images or videos used to spread misinformation or manipulate opinions. Again - this is more common than you think, and can have serious consequences for individuals in society, especially given how quickly such content can go viral on social media.
Privacy and security concerns: Privacy is a major concern in AI. When you share personal data, there’s a risk of misuse of information. For example, the recent Ghibli-style art trend caused controversy because people worried about how their images were handled and whether their privacy was protected.
The future of the AI landscape
Overall, the AI market looks promising. Given the adoption of top AI tools and the innovation in the sector, the global AI market is set for exponential growth, with estimations suggesting it could reach a multi-trillion-dollar valuation in the coming years. This growth is driven by hefty investments from tech giants like Google, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, all of whom are rapidly upgrading their AI capabilities to stay competitive.
Many top AI tools are being researched to integrate them with cybersecurity, automation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and blockchain tech to create smarter, more secure systems than before.
Governments are also playing a significant role, with initiatives aimed at boosting AI adoption. For example, the Indian government has allocated ₹500 crore for a Centre of Excellence in AI for Education to instill the necessary skills in the modern workforce. ₹2,000 crores were also allocated to the IndiaAI mission to support research and innovation in the sector.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How does generative AI work?
Top AI tools like ChatGPT use machine learning models to create new content, such as text, images, code, or music, based on the input data. Such generative AI systems rely on deep neural networks to generate outputs that mimic human creativity.
What are the differences between an LLM and generative AI?
A large language model (LLM) focuses mainly on understanding and generating human language, while generative AI uses various model frameworks to generate a broader range of content like images, text, audio, and videos.
How much power do genAI tools consume?
GenAI tools are power-intensive, and their energy consumption depends on the size and complexity of the systems. For example, training OpenAI’s GPT-3 uses around 1,300 MWh of electricity, roughly equal to the annual power consumption of around 130 US homes. GPT-4, being more advanced, consumes nearly 50 times more energy than GPT-3.
