I pushed eight free AI chatbots to their limits to find the best AI chatbots of 2026. To explore our top picks, check out ZDNET's chatbot-by-chatbot guide.

Botpress AI Chatbot builder is absolutely free to use and deploy! Learn how to build chatbots in this complete AI tutorial for beginners. This botpress in depth tutorial shows how to use the Botpress ...

ChatGPT is easily the best-known generative AI chatbot in the world, but it offers different experiences depending on whether or not you pay for a premium LLM. The free ChatGPT runs on the GPT-3.5 ...

A new version of ChatGPT has arrived that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promises will have Ph.D-level smarts. OpenAI on Thursday announced the release of GPT‑5, which it calls its "smartest, fastest and most ...

Since launching ChatGPT, OpenAI has continued to work on new AI projects that build on the success and popularity of its AI chatbot. Now, the appearance of a new mystery large language model (LLM) ...

In essence, a ChatGPT Plus subscription offers not only access to cutting-edge AI technology but also the opportunity for users to become creators in their own right, shaping the future of ...

ChatGPT quickly swept us away with its mind-blowing skills. Its latest model, GPT-4o, is faster, cheaper and can generate more text than its predecessors. Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to ...

OpenAI announced ChatGPT’s upgrade to GPT-4o on Monday, giving the chatbot "more natural human-computer interactions," the company said on its website. The announcement came a day before Google ...

ChatGPT has opened the GPT store, an online home for all the ChatGPT-powered bots that are custom-designed to help users with a vast range of different skills. Users have created over 3 million custom ...

A new version of ChatGPT has arrived that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman promises will have Ph.D-level smarts. OpenAI on Thursday announced the release of GPT‑5, which it calls its “smartest, fastest and most ...