AI is advancing at a breakneck speed, with new models being released by tech giants like Google and startups such as OpenAI and Anthropic. Keeping up with these developments can be quite a task, especially since many models are promoted based on technical benchmarks that might not reflect their real-world applications. To help you navigate this landscape, here’s a rundown of some of the most interesting AI models released recently, along with insights into their uses and strengths.

Notable AI Models of 2025

Google Gemini 2.5 Google's Gemini 2.5 Pro Experimental is a reasoning model that shines in creating web applications and coding agents. However, it doesn’t perform as well on some coding benchmarks compared to Claude Sonnet 3.7. Access to this model requires a $20 monthly subscription to Gemini Advanced.

ChatGPT-4o Image Generator OpenAI has enhanced its GPT-4o model to include image generation capabilities. This update quickly gained attention for its ability to transform images into anime styles reminiscent of Studio Ghibli, though it raises some copyright concerns. A ChatGPT Plus subscription, costing at least $20 per month, is needed to use this model.

Stability AI’s Stable Virtual Camera Stability AI has introduced a model capable of generating 3D scenes and camera angles from a single 2D image. While it handles simple scenes well, it struggles with more complex elements like human figures and moving water. This model is available for noncommercial research on Hugging Face.

Cohere’s Aya Vision Aya Vision from Cohere is a multimodal model that excels in tasks like image captioning and answering photo-related questions. It also performs well in languages other than English. You can access it for free via WhatsApp.

OpenAI’s GPT 4.5 “Orion” Orion, OpenAI’s largest model to date, is praised for its extensive world knowledge and emotional intelligence. However, it doesn’t match newer reasoning models on some benchmarks. It’s available through OpenAI’s $200-per-month plan.

Claude Sonnet 3.7 Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 3.7 is a hybrid reasoning model that can provide quick answers or take time to think through complex problems. It allows users to control the model’s response time and is available to all Claude users, with a $20-per-month Pro plan for heavy usage.

xAI’s Grok 3 Grok 3, from Elon Musk’s xAI, is noted for its superior performance in math, science, and coding. It requires a $50 monthly X Premium subscription. After concerns of political bias in its predecessor, efforts are underway to make Grok more neutral.

AI Models from 2024

DeepSeek R1 This open-source model from China is known for its strong performance in coding and math. It’s free to use but includes Chinese government censorship, which has led to some bans due to data privacy concerns.

Meta Llama 3.3 70B Meta’s latest Llama model is both cost-effective and efficient, particularly in math and general knowledge tasks. It’s available for free as an open-source model.

OpenAI Sora Sora creates realistic videos from text prompts, although it sometimes struggles with realistic physics. It’s available on paid ChatGPT plans starting at $20 per month.

Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 3.5 Known for its coding prowess, Claude Sonnet 3.5 is a favorite among tech enthusiasts. It’s free for basic use, with a $20 monthly Pro plan for more intensive users.

These models reflect the diverse and rapidly evolving landscape of AI technology. Whether you're interested in coding, image generation, or complex reasoning, there’s likely an AI model out there that fits your needs. Keep an eye on this space as new models continue to emerge.