Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:05] Welcome to ChatGPT Curious, a podcast for people who are, well, curious about ChatGPT. I'm, um, your host, Dr. Shantae Cofield, also known as the Maestro, and I created this show to explore what ChatGPT actually is really, though, are the files in the computer, how to use it, and what it might mean for how we think, work, create and move through life. Whether you're skeptical, intrigued, or already experimenting, you're in the right place. All that I ask is that you stay curious. All right, let's get into it.
[00:00:38] Hello, hello, hello, my curious people, and welcome to episode 33. I am your grateful host, the Maestro, and today we are talking about my personal feelings about Cloud vs ChatGPT. I figured that after a few technical episodes, we lighten it up just a little bit and I would share my two pennies about our quote, unquote favorite LLMs.
[00:00:59] So, worth noting, at the time of this recording, Anthropic has scored some major brownie points and has put up, and is putting up the good fight and has refused to give in to whack ass Pete Hexith and the rest of that shitty administration.
[00:01:17] Love to see it. So Anthropic has refused to remove safeguards that would basically, uh, prevent its technology from being used to target weapons autonomously. What are we doing?
[00:01:28] And conduct U.S. domestic surveillance. We don't want this. So the government, them, uh, gave anthropic until 5pm on Friday, that's February 27, to comply with their demands for unrestricted military use or risk being labeled a supply chain. Risk. We said risk twice. But that's, that's the appropriate usage there. Anthropic said no.
[00:01:55] Hell to the no. And then Trump threw a temperature temper tantrum. Of course, what this actually means for Anthropic, tbd, but they are definitely winning over the US People, right? Because they're like, no, you can't just take our, you know, use our AI. There are terms of service, terms and conditions, baby. You can't just use this unrestricted and go and do crazy.
[00:02:18] We don't want that. No. And I support that decision.
[00:02:22] Uh, so what this actually means, we don't know. We'll see.
[00:02:28] Uh, but Sam Altman, and He's over at OpenAI Chat GPT, likely spurred by seeing folks leave Chat GPT and head to Claude. He actually came out with a statement that he shares the quote unquote red lines set by Anthropic restricting how the military uses AI models. So remember, yeah, Anthropic is still in bed with Palantir.
[00:02:52] But we will see what unfolds in the upcoming weeks. This should be changing every five seconds. Like so much happens but also like nothing happens. So we'll see. But let's jump into the main topic for today, which is just my thoughts, my experiences with Claude versus ChatGPT. So I've been using Claude exclusively for the past few weeks and I have continued to see folks on Threads making a big to do about switching from Chat to Claude. So I wanted to offer my two pennies about all of it just in case. Maybe that's you first off, folks making the switch. It's not that serious. It really is not. I continue to see folks hemming and hawing on threads and I think it's just cuz people are bored, I don't know.
[00:03:37] And they're asking, you know, they're bored and they're lonely and so they're asking the best way to bring their information over to Claude. It's not that serious. Right? Three pointers here. Number one, listen to episode 30. I will link it. It's titled Switching between Chat GPT, Claude and other LLMs. Without starting from scratch, I outlined everything. It's like not that serious.
[00:03:56] Number two here. If someone is, in my opinion, my humble opinion, as a super user, I'd be using this too much. I know.
[00:04:04] In my humble opinion, if someone on Threads is asking how to make this switch, it means that they don't use Chat GPT nearly enough to have enough information on there to actually worry about this switch.
[00:04:18] Otherwise if they were really using this thing, really using deep diving, they would know. They could just ask Chat how to do it.
[00:04:26] It's not that serious. Like it's not right. That's. Which is point number three here. It's not that serious. Just start using the new LLM. You will be fine. Just start using Claude. Because this is what this episode is, Claude versus Chat Chat GPT. Just start it and you'll be fine. I promise.
[00:04:44] My experience thus far, yes, the two LLMs absolutely have different personalities, but for what most of us use it for, it's fine, right M their capabilities, they're the same.
[00:04:56] I will say I still struggle. Rachel, if you listen to this, I love you, but I still struggle with Gemini. I do. I'm like, it's not. That's not as good. But the biggest differences, I'm gonna, I'm gonna outline what I see as uh, the biggest, the biggest differences.
[00:05:14] Number one, Claude doesn't have. And this is like in no particular order, number one, Claude doesn't have a native gen. Wow. Cloud doesn't have a native image generator, which is actually really good for them. Because any AI slot that you see on the Internet, we automatically know it's not from cloud, it's not from.
[00:05:30] Right. So if you need images and you don't want to use Chat GPT, the solution here is simple. Use Google's Nano Banana. It's actually very good. Um, and I, I know that in a previous episode I did say that if forced to pick the who win the AI race, it would be Google, but I, it sucks in my opinion. I'm like, this isn't good, but the image generator Nano Banana is, is good. But like as an LLM and like talking to it and asking her for stuff, I'm like, I don't like you.
[00:05:57] What did I talk about with what is it called? Uh, Google Notebook lm. That shit is phenomenal. It feels kind of like when you look at Apple products and you're like, why isn't the camera on my computer as good as the camera on the phone?
[00:06:12] Because they're both small and the phone's camera is amazing. And yet I use the computer, phone, the computer, uh, camera. And I'm like, with a webcam and I'm like, what's going on here? Literally what's going on here? And that's what it feels like to me with Gemini. I'm like talking to it. I'm like, what is happening? You're the worst and you're so slow. But the image generator, really good. So I'm like, your image generator is great. Google Notebook LM is great, but like Gemini m not a fan. Uh, so yeah, that's one difference.
[00:06:41] Number two, Claude has usage limits. Right. I spoke about this two episodes ago. That was the episode are we obsessed with AI? And I continue to be very cognizant of these users limits. Realistically, for the average user and like for general use, you will never come close to hitting your limits. I do not think you will. I'm a pretty heavy user and I'm using it for things like coding which like, it just uses a lot of tokens because it's spitting out a lot of, of like context.
[00:07:05] But.
[00:07:06] And I still don't use it. I still don't hit my limits. So if you start generating code then it's a different story and you may like feel more pressed.
[00:07:13] Um, if you're using things like Claude ah, code or Claude Cowork, you will hit your limits with that. Yes, that's like very token hungry. But if you're just using regular Claude and doing regular tasks, you'll be fine.
[00:07:27] Um, so, yeah, totally fine with that. Do I worry about them like ratcheting things down and suddenly you're like, wow, I'm hitting my limits really fast all of a sudden. Yes, I do. Um, but that, this is just about the differences between the two.
[00:07:42] Number three, Claude doesn't have custom GPTs, and this to me is actually a big deal. So no matter what folks say on the interwebs, Claude doesn't have custom GPTs, Claude has projects. It also has a thing called skills, neither of which are the same as ChatGPT's projects, right? They, they, excuse me, ChatGPTs, custom GPTs, Claude projects, they are the exact same as chat GPT projects, right? Exact same. They do the same thing, right? Which means they are not custom GPTs. I have an whole episode about what a custom GPT is, if you want to look at that. Um, but I think that's actually a big loss, um, in switching to Claude because this is something you could have your, your customers, your consumers using.
[00:08:24] Um, um, you know, I was sharing it as a client resource and I do think that that is a big, a big detriment. The thing that's interesting is that like OpenAI didn't really promote the custom GPTs. I think because, you know, if you're listening to this, you're not an average user, just for what it's worth, but the average user is not making custom GPTs or needing custom GPTs. We're not average users and so many. There's a good chance that you listening to this are using, we're using a custom GPT that doesn't exist on cloud, at least not yet.
[00:08:50] Uh, mainly the reason that we, that I've always spoken about using custom GPTs is for outward facing things, right? To let your, your clients use it. It's not really for your own use case you don't need that at all. I never used a custom GPT for myself. It was to give to my people that were in my programs. And so that admittedly to me is shitty. Um, but we'll see what, what they end up doing. But that is a difference.
[00:09:13] Uh, number four, clock breaks sometimes. Like yes, OpenAI, ChatGPT breaks, but like I have a night, uh, owl. I stay up late doing work from time to time, especially in this season of my business. And more than once Claude has just not been able to hang it, just stop working and it gives this little like little retry message and it retries 10 times. It literally counts it down. And I'm like, what the is happening? I'm not sure what causes it. And I've never had it happen with ChatGPT. And it's not like it's a throttling issue because it'll just like. I'll just, like, ask a question and it doesn't work. So it's just. It's been, it's been noticeable enough. It doesn't happen all the time, but it's definitely been noticeable enough compared to ChatGPT, which, yes, we know these things. Like, they go down sometimes, but I'm like, oh, this, um, this isn't working.
[00:09:56] Number, uh, six. Claude's persistent memory, in my opinion, doesn't seem to be as good. Like, I'm pretty sure, like, the simple solution to this is to use projects, which I'm doing, and then upload documents with the info you want to remember. But I do find that it'd be needing reminders about things, and then suddenly, suddenly it knows, and then suddenly it doesn't know. And I'm like, what's happening? I had seen. I had seen about. Not that specific thing, but I'd seen rumblings about this on, um, Reddit, where they're just like, chat's not chat. Claude's dumb today. And I was like, that's interesting. And now I've experienced it where some days I'm like, man, you are on it. And other days I'm like, are you the same?
[00:10:33] What the.
[00:10:34] What the happened?
[00:10:36] So that, to me, a difference there. Um, we know that OpenAI was looking to, um, they were looking to invest, I guess is the word in their memory because they were falling behind. And so, like, they had a code red. This was a few months ago, right? I spoke about it maybe m. A month ago. I don't know. Either way, I spoke about it. Um, and Sam Alton said that they were going to, you know, double down on memory. And so I do think that Chat, uh, remembers a bit better.
[00:11:08] Number six differences is there's no voice mode on Claude, which is fine. Uh, because sometimes the voice mode on. On Chat GPT was, was like, not great. But, um, I did like to talk back and forth. And that doesn't exist on Claude, which at the end of the day, like, I think these are good things. I think these differences are actually. They are good. They're positive. Right? It really feels like opening eyes, trying to make us addicted and, like, trying to, like, you know, anthropomorph. Not. That's not the right word. Uh, Personify these things. I guess maybe anthropomorphize is a little bit of the word as well, but either way, they're trying to make these things human and, like, make you get addicted to it and, like, fall in love with this thing.
[00:11:49] Anthropic is like, this is a computer program. It can do cool stuff, use it. So, for what it's worth, I don't think these are bad differences. I'm just noting the differences. Right. Um, but if you flip the script here and we go to the positive side, uh, on a positive note, I do find Claude to be far less verbose than Chat. Um, and I really like that. Right. Chat can be chatty as.
[00:12:11] And I'm like, why do you. I just feel like, why are you saying so much? It's like, give me the answer all this whole thing. And I know you folks see it as well. Like, anytime someone's copy reads like that, you can just tell. Now you're like, that is the short, punchy sentences that, uh, antithesis structure. Uh, like, it's not this, it's this. You can tell. You're like, chachi, PT wrote this.
[00:12:34] Uh, and so I do find that Claude is. Is less verbose, which is nice. Um, and I'm saying this objectively, meaning I have custom instructions, or I had. I had custom instructions for Chat, and then I just copied them and brought them over for Claude. Uh, I found where I could put them in, and so they had the same instructions. And yet Chat GPT would be saying the most. And now Claude, it just does what I want. It's just not as. It's not as verbose. Um, yeah, so I do think that speaks to, like, the inherent differences between Claude and Chad, because again, I use the same custom instructions.
[00:13:14] Uh, personality wise, I find Cloud to be more objective and definitely less sycophantic. It's still sycophantic. Me, it is still a yes man, for sure.
[00:13:23] But part of what makes it less sycophantic seems to be that its default is to ask clarifying questions, which, admittedly, I hate. And I need to go through my.
[00:13:32] I need to go through my instructions again, because I'm pretty sure that I didn't. Maybe they're in the custom instructions, but, like, Chat never did that. So I got to go back because this thing asked me a question a lot. I'm like, I'm like, just give me an answer. Like, I'm just having a. You know, we're just riffing here. Just give me a answer. Why are you asking me all these things.
[00:13:48] Um, but because it doesn't just give me an answer, that does make it a bit less sycophantic. Um, and does it's not just saying what you, what it thinks you want to hear, like, like Chad does.
[00:13:59] Writing wise, I can't say that I prefer one to the other because I have never had it just fully write anything for me. Right? Uh, yes, I use Claude to write the Curious Companion, but it generates the Curious Companion from such a detailed outline and I have it add so little that it's not really a great assessment. I'm like, oh, I'm not like write this thing. Um, I do however, know that some folks prefer Claude when it comes to writing, especially with the, the latest rollout from before of, of GPT5.
[00:14:27] Um, but I'm going to encourage you to keep using your brains and writing things for yourself. Right. So overall to, in my opinion, and for me, the switch to Claude has been totally fine. I don't find one drastically better or worse than the other, um, in all domains. Right. So if you're wanting to switch but you're on the fence, just do it.
[00:14:51] You'll be totally fine. All right. Okay, Last part of the episode here. Last little section here. How I used Claude this week. So if you're new here, you don't know. Each week I share a quick example of how I, uh, used how I used Claude that week. I'm having a tough time with enunciation. It's hot in here. It's like 80 degrees in, in California or Southern California right now. And I love it. Um, but how I use cloud that week. So this past week I used it for one of my favorite things, which is a little higher level, which is writing a script for Google Apps script. Um, in case you don't know, you've never heard of it. And I hadn't heard of it until I started using GPT before. Google Apps Script is a mini program that you can build inside of Google's ecosystem using all of Google's tools. It's fucking awesome. You can use Sheets, Docs, Gmail, Connect, all the things and it will automate tasks for you by running these scripts so you don't have to do them manually. All right, so previously I had set up a uh, script, uh, and, or an automation, we'll say that allowed me to email resources or resources like links. So it'd be YouTube video links, article links to myself, and then they would get posted automatically on my website. The back end of this was that they were Sent to a Google Sheet. Sorry. So I emailed myself Gmail and then that populated onto a Google Sheet. And then I have the Google Sheet like embedded. It's like a, it's like a. We'll call it an embed. It's not really, but we'll call it an embed on my, my WordPress site. And so, and it's all formatted and everything like, so it just looks like it's native to, to the Word to the website.
[00:16:17] Um, and so that would super simple way to upload new resources and things that I was reading, right? And this was all free. All this happens free and happens automatically.
[00:16:27] So this time I had to help me with my scheduling software, which is called Acuity Acute Acuity, which got acquired by um, Squarespace like a while ago. I've had Acuity for years, like since the beginning. I have a plan that doesn't even exist anymore. Um, um, but Acuity is not Google based, but they have an API. API stands for application Program Interface. So, uh, because. So with. Because. Wow. So with. Because of that. So because of that or using that or with that API, I can now have all of my appointments that get set in Acuity populate onto a Google Sheet.
[00:17:01] Why do I want this? Why is this important? Because with, for some fucking reason, you cannot natively sort your contacts by appointment type inside of Acuity. That's incredibly frustrating to me, right? If I wanted to email all the people that have had a Maestro meeting or a messaging meeting or a discovery call, I can't. It's just not a thing you can do, which is so weird to me.
[00:17:24] Uh, I. Fun fact. I also hate Zapier. I used it like one time in life and it broke. And also I'm just like, I have to pay for this thing. It's like, fine. But like, this seems annoying. So any. I take any chance, any opportunity I can to vibe code a free solution, I do that. And this was one of those opportunities.
[00:17:44] So full, uh, transparency. I think I said this in the beginning. Uh, app script is not Google Apps. Script is not the most user friendly. But this is the beauty of AI because not only will it write the script for you, it'll tell you every single step that you need to take to get everything running. You can be like, I don't understand how to do anything. How do I do this? Give me one step at a time. And then you can just take screenshots of things and be like, this is what I see. What am I clicking on?
[00:18:09] Like, that's phenomenal. So if you're looking for an alternative to Zapier and you can stay within the Google ecosystem, like, which I think is just going to be, in my opinion, I would love to see, uh, to see that happen right where people's eyes get opened to how much opportunity there is to just stay within the Google ecosystem and do all the things for free and save money and not use appier and have your own, your own stuff that's, that's really custom customized to you. Right? You don't even have to like, do crazy vibe coding and build out all this stuff. Um, or if you want to, you know, you can, you can, you can do that, but it can integrate with Google sheets and things like that, and that just makes databases and such a lot easier. But either way, I know that's like a little bit of topic for all my nerds out there. You're welcome. Check it out. It's dope. And that is all I have for today. Hopefully you found this episode helpful. If you did consider leaving a reading or a review. We are up to 26 ratings and we just got a new review from my girl, Mads.
[00:19:18] The best.
[00:19:20] I love you, lady. All right, don't forget, folks, I have a companion newsletter and blog. It's called the Curious Companion and it drops every Thursday and it is the podcast in text format. So if you prefer to read or you just want a written record, join a newsletter, head to the blog. Your choice. You can head to chatgpt. Wow. Chatgptcurious.com forward slash newsletter. Or you can check out the link in the show notes.
[00:19:44] As always. Endlessly, endlessly. One more time. Time Endlessly appreciative for every single one of you. Until we chat again next Thursday, stay curious.
