ChatGPT was a popular AI chatbot when it was released in November 2022, gaining attention for its abilities to write essays, poetry, and code. However, it was unable to handle image inputs or provide real-time information. Samanyou Garg, a young entrepreneur from Delhi, created ChatSonic as an alternative to ChatGPT, which became available to users just one week after OpenAI’s chatbot.
In an exclusive interview with India Today Tech, Samanyou stated that his company’s goal was to create a chatbot like ChatGPT, but with enhanced features.
During an interview, Samanyou explained that ChatSonic was launched just a week after ChatGPT because the conversational space was considered groundbreaking. He mentioned some limitations of ChatGPT, such as limited data up to 2021, factual inaccuracies at times, and no references provided for generated content. Additionally, ChatGPT was not capable of generating images, videos, or voice. In response, ChatSonic was developed to address these limitations and provide improvements. It was built with similar features as ChatGPT but with enhancements.
We are not in competition with ChatGPT
Although ChatSonic is being advertised as ‘ChatGPT with superpowers’, Samanyou does not see it as a competitor to ChatGPT. He clarifies that they are actually ‘enterprise partners with OpenAI’. Instead of competing, their main goal is to create one of the best AI-powered chatbots available.
According to Samanyou, their focus is on three aspects. Firstly, they aim to create one of the best AI chatbots. Additionally, they are working on a tool for content creators to write blog posts, emails, and other materials. They also have a popular Chrome extension that provides ChatGPT’s capabilities across the internet. This extension can be used to summarize emails, generate replies, and perform other functions to boost productivity. Ultimately, the goal is to increase overall productivity.
‘Bing AI imitated us
Similar to ChatSonic, Microsoft’s Bing is offering users the ability to generate images and provide real-time information, among other features.
When asked about Bing and how it differs from ChatSonic, Samanyou explained that Bing was released three months after ChatSonic and had similar features such as image generation.
He joked that Bing copied them in that aspect. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also acknowledged ChatSonic as one of the leaders in generative AI during a presentation. Samanyou emphasized that their focus is on staying ahead of the competition and that they are continuously adding new features such as image manipulation, video generation, audio generation, and more.
AI cannot replace human creativity
In recent months, there has been a lot of discussion about the potential for AI chatbots to replace human workers in their jobs. While some individuals believe that AI can enhance productivity, others are more skeptical and fear that AI will lead to job loss.
Also Read: Meet Raghunandan Kamath, The Fruit Vendor’s Son Who Developed A Rs 300 Crore Ice Cream Empire
Samanyou shared his thoughts on the impact of AI on human jobs and productivity, stating that he believes AI can enhance productivity rather than replace human beings. He mentioned that ChatSonic’s text-based content creation feature can help writers save time by generating a first draft quickly, allowing them to focus on enhancing the text with their creativity. This tool can be beneficial for freelancers who can take on more projects and clients with the time saved.
Similarly, the image generation feature can handle simple tasks like background removal or replacement, but more complex tasks like Photoshop and creative work still require human intervention.
‘ChatSonic working on improving AI chatbots
AI chatbots such as Google’s Bard, Microsoft’s Bing, and OpenAI’s ChatGPT have a tendency to produce convincing but incorrect information. WriteSonic’s founder discussed how they are working on improving this issue, stating that they are using web search results to enhance the quality and accuracy of the results and to ensure that they reflect current events and market trends.
In addition, he discussed ChatSonic’s future plans, stating, “One focus is on multi-modality, where the ChatSonic bot can manage various types of media such as images, videos, audios, and more.
Essentially, it becomes a virtual assistant. We are also developing ChatSonic apps, similar to ChatGPT plugins. Personalization is another area we’re exploring, where we can create a digital clone of a person or business. This way, whether it’s an email, press release, or article, the response would be personalized based on the specific writing style or data. We’re also partnering with enterprises to develop their own custom ChatGPT-like chatbots that are trained on their own data. These intelligent chatbots will replace traditional ones you see today.”
Artificial intelligence is advancing quickly
Since the rise in popularity of generative AI, numerous companies have been introducing AI technologies, and new developments seem to arise frequently. Regarding the progress of AI and the potential state of the AI industry in five years, Samanyou commented, “What we anticipated to occur in five years is now happening in a matter of five weeks.”
“With the availability of more and more data, and the ability of these models to generate their own data, innovation is happening at an extremely fast pace. Things that were expected to happen in five or ten years are now happening in a matter of months. That being said, I believe multi-modality will continue to evolve in the coming months and years.”
“The second thing to consider is that currently, the large language models are mostly controlled by companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google. However, in the next two or three months, we will see more open-source and smaller models emerge.
For instance, Facebook’s LLaMA model is gaining popularity, and every company will likely have its own customized large language model that caters to its specific data, writing style, and guidelines. As a result, AI will become an integral part of every app or digital tool, as it simplifies and increases productivity significantly.”
I really enjoy using the email feature powered by AI
When asked about his favorite AI tool that aids him in his daily routine, Samanyou replied, “I would say the email feature included in our Chrome extension, which works seamlessly with Gmail. I receive hundreds of emails every day, so this feature helps me respond to emails much more quickly. For instance, if I receive an email and want to write a lengthy thank-you note, confirm some details, or something similar, all I need to do is express my gratitude and click a button. It will generate an automated, highly professional response. For me, this is the most productive tool that saves a lot of time.”
