Different AI Interaction Clients
We're all into AI these days, but the way we interact with AI models can vary widely depending on the client or interface we use. Each type of client offers different features, capabilities, and user experiences.
As a developer, it's important to understand these differences so you can choose the right tools for your needs or build your own custom solutions. Different target audiences may also prefer different clients based on their technical expertise and use cases.
This post provides a breakdown of the primary types of AI interaction clients, with your examples and others categorized as requested.
Web-Based Chat Interfaces #
These are standalone websites that provide a direct, conversational interface to an AI model. They are the most common way for the general public to interact with large language models.
Description: A simple, chat-room-style web application where you type a prompt and receive a response. The interaction is usually stateless (though "memory" is a feature) and disconnected from your other applications.
How They Are Used: General-purpose question answering, content generation (writing emails, essays, or code snippets), brainstorming, summarization, and translation.
Examples:
- ChatGPT Website
- Google Gemini (web interface)
- Anthropic's Claude (web interface)
- Perplexity AI
Search Capabilities: This category relies heavily on search.
- Google Gemini is directly integrated with Google Search for real-time information.
- ChatGPT (in its paid tiers) uses Bing to search the web for current events.
- Perplexity AI is built from the ground up as an "answer engine" that performs multiple web searches and synthesizes the results into a cited answer.
Advantages:
- Accessibility: Easily accessible from any web browser with no installation required.
- Up-to-Date: Search integration gives them access to real-time information.
- User-Friendly: Highly intuitive and easy for non-technical users.
Disadvantages:
- Context-Switching: You must leave your primary work (e.g., your code editor or document) to use it.
- "Copy-Paste" Workflow: Requires you to manually copy information in and out of the interface.
IDE & Code Editor Integrations #
These are plugins, extensions, or built-in features that embed AI assistance directly within a developer's Integrated Development Environment (IDE) or code editor.
Description: An "over-the-shoulder" coding partner that lives inside your editor. It can see your code, suggest completions, and respond to prompts within a dedicated panel.
How They Are Used: Autocompleting lines or entire blocks of code, generating new functions from comments, explaining existing code, finding bugs, and writing unit tests.
Examples:
- GitHub Copilot
- Amazon CodeWhisperer
- Tabnine
- Codeium (which can use models like Claude Code)
Search Capabilities: Yes, this is a newer but critical feature.
- GitHub Copilot Chat can use Bing search to debug errors, research new libraries, or find documentation that was published after its training was completed.
Advantages:
- Deep Integration: Stays directly in the developer's workflow.
- Context-Aware: Can read your open files and project structure to provide relevant suggestions.
- Real-Time Problem Solving: Search allows it to solve problems with new or obscure code.
Disadvantages:
- Over-Reliance: Can lead to developers trusting AI-generated code without fully understanding it.
- Potential for Errors: Can confidently suggest incorrect, inefficient, or insecure code.
APIs & SDKs (The "Custom Made Client") #
This is the underlying method for building all other clients. It's not a client itself, but the programmatic interface that allows developers to create their own.
Description: An Application Programming Interface (API) or Software Development Kit (SDK) provided by an AI company (like OpenAI, Google, or Anthropic). Developers use these to send requests and receive responses from the AI model in their own applications.
How They Are Used: To build any "custom made client" you can imagine: a new chatbot website, an automated customer service bot, a data analysis tool that explains trends, or an AI feature inside an existing product.
Examples:
- OpenAI API (for GPT models)
- Google Gemini API (via Vertex AI or AI Studio)
- Anthropic Claude API
Search Capabilities: Yes, this is offered as a feature for developers to use.
- The Google Gemini API provides a "Grounding with Google Search" feature.
- Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service allows developers to connect their models to Bing Search.
This allows any custom-built client to have real-time web access.
Advantages:
- Total Flexibility: You have complete control over the user interface, workflow, and data.
- Integration: Can be integrated into any backend, service, or product.
Disadvantages:
- Requires Expertise: You must be a developer to use it.
- Cost Management: You pay per API call (per token), which can become expensive.
Command-Line Interfaces (CLIs) #
These are programs you run from your computer's terminal (like Command Prompt, PowerShell, or bash). They are designed for developers, system administrators, and power users.
Description: A text-based tool that allows you to send prompts to an AI and receive text-based responses directly in your terminal.
How They Are Used: Asking for terminal commands (e.g., "how to find all .log files"), debugging scripts, summarizing log files, or integrating AI into automated shell scripts.
Examples:
- Gemini CLI
- GitHub Copilot CLI
- Various open-source tools like oai or shell-gpt
Search Capabilities: Yes, this is a key feature for their "agent-like" capabilities.
- The Gemini CLI has a built-in GoogleSearch tool to ground its responses in real-time data.
- The GitHub Copilot CLI can also perform web searches (using Bing) to fetch context.
Advantages:
- Automation: Easily combined with other commands and scripts.
- Speed & Efficiency: Very fast for "headless" tasks where a full graphical interface isn't needed.
Disadvantages:
- High Learning Curve: Not intuitive for non-technical users.
- Text-Only: Not suitable for visual tasks.
Embedded App Integrations #
These are AI features built directly into existing productivity applications, blurring the line between the app and the AI. This category includes browser extensions, which treat the web browser as the host application.
Description: The AI is not a separate tool but a feature of a tool you already use, like your word processor, web browser, or team chat. Browser extensions, for example, install an AI client directly into Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
How They Are Used:
- In-App: Drafting or rephrasing text in a document (Notion AI, Google Docs), summarizing email threads (Gmail), creating formulas from text (Excel, Google Sheets).
- In-Browser: Using a sidebar (like Copilot in Edge) to chat about the current webpage, highlighting text for summarization, or getting AI assistance directly within web apps like Gmail or Twitter.
Examples:
- Microsoft 365 Copilot (in Word, Excel, Teams)
- Google Gemini in Workspace (in Docs, Sheets, Gmail)
- Notion AI
- AI Browser Extensions (e.g., sidebar assistants, text highlighters)
Search Capabilities: Yes, they combine public web search with private data search.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot uses Bing search for public web information and Microsoft Graph to search your private emails, files, and chats.
- Gemini in Google Workspace uses Google Search for public info and also searches your private Google Drive, Gmail, and Docs.
- Browser extensions inherently use search and are context-aware of the web page you are currently visiting.
Advantages:
- Seamless Workflow: The AI is context-aware of your document/data and available with a single click.
- Dual Context: Can answer questions by combining public knowledge with your private data.
Disadvantages:
- "Walled Garden": You are locked into using the AI provider chosen by the application.
- Cost: Almost always an extra monthly fee on top of the existing software subscription.
Mobile Applications #
These are standalone apps on iOS or Android that provide access to AI models, often with features unique to mobile devices.
Description: A dedicated app from an AI provider for your smartphone or tablet.
How They Are Used: On-the-go questions, voice-based conversations, and visual analysis (using the phone's camera to ask questions about the real world).
Examples:
- ChatGPT App
- Google App (with Gemini integration)
- Perplexity App
Search Capabilities: Yes, this is a primary function, just like their web-based counterparts. They use their respective search engines (Google or Bing) to provide current, location-aware answers.
Advantages:
- Portability: Access to AI from anywhere.
- Multimedia Input: Can use voice (mic) and vision (camera) as inputs.
Disadvantages:
- Limited Interface: Small screen and touch input are not ideal for complex tasks like coding or long-form writing.
Operating System (OS) Integrations #
This is an emerging category where the AI is built directly into the computer's operating system, acting as a system-wide assistant.
Description: An AI that has access to your files, applications, and system settings, allowing it to perform actions across your entire computer.
How They Are Used: Finding files using natural language, changing system settings, summarizing notifications, or orchestrating tasks across multiple apps.
Examples:
- Microsoft Copilot in Windows
- Apple's rumored future OS-level AI
Search Capabilities: Yes, this is fundamental to their operation.
- Microsoft Copilot in Windows is directly tied to Bing search for all web-related queries, in addition to searching your local files and system settings.
Advantages:
- Deepest Integration: Can see and interact with everything on your system.
- Always-On: Constantly available as a core part of the user experience.
Disadvantages:
- Privacy Concerns: Requires giving the AI extensive permissions to read your data.
- Ecosystem Lock-in: Tightly binds you to one provider's (e.g., Microsoft's or Apple's) AI ecosystem.
Conclusion #
The landscape of AI interaction clients is diverse and rapidly evolving. Each type of client serves different user needs and technical requirements. As AI continues to integrate deeper into our daily lives and workflows, understanding these various clients will help you choose the right tools and leverage AI effectively.