Know which AI to use for any task—stop defaulting to one tool for everything
Step 6 is where you stop being a "ChatGPT user" and become an "AI user." Each major model has distinct strengths: ChatGPT for breadth and plugins, Claude for writing and long documents, Gemini for Google integration and current info, Perplexity for cited research, Grok for real-time social data. Mastering multi-model means picking the right tool for each job—not forcing one tool to do everything.
Most people use whatever AI they started with—usually ChatGPT—for everything. That's like owning only a hammer. Step 6 users get better results because they match tool to task. Need deep analysis of a 100-page PDF? Claude. Need real-time search with sources? Perplexity. Need to analyze a 2-hour video? Gemini. The difference in output quality is dramatic when you use the right model.
| Model | Best For | Key Strength | When to Choose |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | General tasks, Custom GPTs, plugins, daily driver | Ecosystem: Memory, GPTs, integrations, image generation | Default choice; when you need plugins or Custom GPTs |
| Claude | Writing, long documents, nuanced analysis, coding | Context window: 200K tokens—can read entire books/codebases | Long documents, better writing quality, thoughtful analysis |
| Gemini | Multimodal tasks, Google integration, video/image analysis, coding | Multimodal: Native image/video/audio understanding; 1M+ token context | Analyzing videos/images, Google Workspace, very long documents, coding |
| Perplexity | Research with citations, fact-checking, current events | Citations: Every claim linked to sources you can verify | Research you need to defend; when sources matter |
| Grok | Real-time X/Twitter data, trending topics, social pulse | Social data: Access to live X posts and trends | Social media research, trending analysis, brand monitoring |
Create accounts for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. Free tiers work for testing; upgrade your primary 1-2.
Give the same prompt to 2-3 models. Compare outputs. Notice what each does better. This builds intuition.
Before starting any AI task, spend 5 seconds asking: "Which model is best for this?" Use the framework above.
Document your own preferences. Which models work best for your specific tasks? Create your personal cheat sheet.
Ran the same market research query through ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity. Each surfaced different insights. Combined the best of all three for a comprehensive report with verified sources.
Needed to analyze a 75-page contract. ChatGPT couldn't hold the whole thing. Switched to Claude, uploaded the full PDF, got detailed analysis with specific clause references.
Needed to review a 90-minute recorded presentation for key takeaways. Uploaded to Gemini, asked for timestamps of main topics and a summary of each section. Got a detailed breakdown in minutes.
"Step 6 is the course midpoint—and a crucial mindset shift. You stop asking 'How do I get ChatGPT to do this?' and start asking 'Which AI does this best?' That question alone separates casual users from power users."