AI in Education for Students: Different Generative AI Options

Different Generative AI Options

There are many generative AI tools available. Some are free, some need you to create an account for, and some are subscription-based. We have outlined the most common and relevant tools for students below and described their uses.

Note that inclusion on this page is not an endorsement by Victoria University.

Tools and models

It's important to understand the difference between generative AI 'models' and 'tools'.

The model is the neural network, the artificial intelligence 'engine'.

  • Large language models are models that take in text and produce text. The common ones are:
    • 'GPT-3.5', released in November 2022, was produced by OpenAI.
    • 'GPT-4', also from OpenAI, was released in March 2023 and is more powerful than GPT-3.5.
    • 'PaLM 2' is a model from Google.
  • Other models that take in text and produce images are based on 'diffusion' models. There are many implementations of these models in different tools.
  • There are other models that can produce other outputs such as video and audio.

The tool or interface is the software that you use. For example:

  • ChatGPT Free uses the GPT-3.5 model.
  • ChatGPT Plus gives access to the GPT-4 model.
  • Bing Chat uses the GPT-4 model when put in 'creative mode', and uses the GPT-3.5 model otherwise, along with other models.
  • DALL-E uses a diffusion model to generate images.

 

Generative AI tools

Different generative AI and their purposes
Tool Link Cost and access Sources Features
ChatGPT (free) from OpenAI https://chat.openai.com/ Free OpenAI account needed Training data cut-off in September 2021 Good reasoning ability with wide general capability. Runs GPT-3.5 model.
ChatGPT Plus from OpenAI https://chat.openai.com/ Paid OpenAI account needed Training data cut-off in September 2021, but has access to live internet** via plugins Enhanced reasoning with reduced hallucinations. Can access the GPT-4 model.
Bing Chat from Microsoft https://bing.com/chat  Available without an account. Free Microsoft account provides longer completions and more chat turns. Training data cut-off in September 2021, but has access to live internet** Runs the GPT-4 model when set to 'creative mode'.
Gemini from Google (formely Bard) https://bard.google.com/ Free Google account needed Has access to live internet** Wide general capability. Runs PaLM 2 model.
Perplexity.ai from Perplexity https://www.perplexity.ai/ Basic functionality is available without an account. Paid 'pro' version is available with access to more powerful features. GPT-3.5 with internet** access Like ChatGPT, but provides information from actual sources across the internet.

** By combining the advantages of staying connected to the internet and being mindful of the potential biases, internet-connected generative AI models can provide a more comprehensive and informed output about various topics.

 

Language generation AI tools

Tool Link Cost and access Features
Notion AI (embedded in Notion) by Notion https://www.notion.so/product/ai Free account needed, with paid functionalities A tool that converts quick notes to appropriate reports/summaries
QuillBot by Course Hero https://quillbot.com/ Basic functionality available without an account Aids in generating synonyms and paraphrases existing writing to improve sentence structure
Grammarly Go by Grammarly https://www.grammarly.com/grammarlygo Free account needed Converts notes and drafts into reports

 

AI tools useful for research

Tool Link Cost and access Sources Features
Elicit.org from Ought https://elicit.org/  Free account needed GPT-3.5 with searches of scholarly articles via Semantic Scholar Searches scholarly articles using natural language queries, and extracts information from articles using GPT models to present summaries and other findings
Research Rabbit https://www.researchrabbit.ai/ Free account needed The data source is not disclosed, however searches of scholarly articles via Semantic Scholar Data visualisation to track sources / citation mapping

Image generation AI tools

These AI tools are generally used to generate images from text-based prompts. Some of these tools support additional image functionality such as replacing parts of images or extending existing images.

Tool Link Cost and access Features
DALL-E 2 by OpenAI https://openai.com/dall-e-2 Free account needed Generate more realistic images at higher resolutions
Firefly by Adobe https://firefly.adobe.com/ Free account needed Image and text effect generation
Bing Image Creator by Microsoft https://www.bing.com/create Free account needed Powered by DALL-E
Midjourney by Midjourney Inc https://www.midjourney.com/ Paid account needed, and accessed through Discord only Considered one of the more powerful image generation AIs available currently
Stable Diffusion by StabilityAI https://stablediffusionweb.com/ Free account needed Create descriptive images with shorter prompts and generate words within images

 

 

Video generation AI tools

Tool Link Cost and access Features
Pictory https://pictory.ai/ Free account needed. Paid account provides more functionality. Edit videos based on text/transcription editing to cut videos or create highlights
Deepbrain AI https://www.deepbrain.io/ Free account needed Generate a video with human-looking AI presenting it by feeding a script 
Steve.AI from Steve AI https://www.steve.ai/ Paid account needed Create cartoon videos with written prompts

 

Audio generation AI tools

Tool Link Cost and access Features
ElevenLabs https://beta.elevenlabs.io/ Limited to 10,000 characters per month for free access. Account needed. Generate audio in the voice of any accent and person, based on a sample audio recording of that person's voice.
Soundraw https://soundraw.io/  Free account needed. Paid account allows for wider and further usage. Generate royalty-free music clips.

 

Code generation AI tools

Tool Link Cost and access Features
Copilot in Visual Studio Code from Microsoft/Github https://code.visualstudio.com/blogs/2023/03/30/vscode-copilot\ Paid account needed A tool in built in current Microsoft's Visual Studio platform that is able to generate code based on textual input.
OpenAI Codex from OpenAI https://openai.com/blog/openai-codex Paid account needed Turns comments into code and completes code.
Jupyter AI from JupyterLabs https://jupyter.org/ Free installation A tool available on the current Jupyter Notebook platform that is able to generate code based on textual input.

 

3D model generation AI tools

Tool Link Cost and access Features
3DFY.ai by 3DFY https://3dfy.ai/ Currently in beta mode Generates 3D models from text
Stability for Blender (plug-in in Blender) by Blender https://platform.stability.ai/docs/integrations/blender Free trial Creates images or 3D models based on text inputs or animations based on existing images

 

 

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