Plutonic Rainbows

Apologies for the oversight in my previous post — I should have included Google Gemini in the discussion. Gemini is a key player in the current AI landscape, offering a versatile suite of models that combine strong reasoning, coding, and multimodal capabilities. Leaving it out may have given the impression that it isn’t relevant alongside GPT, Claude, Grok, and Qwen, but in reality, it deserves recognition as one of the most significant entrants shaping the competitive field.

Artificial intelligence has become more than just a buzzword — it’s becoming a daily partner in how we work, create, and even play. From writing code to generating ideas and powering conversations, today’s leading models each bring their own personality and strengths. Let’s take a quick look at four of the most exciting names in the space right now: GPT-Codex, Claude, Grok, and Qwen.

GPT-Codex is the coder’s dream assistant. Developed by OpenAI, it bridges natural language and programming, making it possible to describe your goals in plain English and have them turned into functional code. Whether you’re debugging, migrating projects, or building prototypes, Codex feels like an extra teammate who never gets tired of problem-solving.

Claude, from Anthropic, stands out for its thoughtful and safe design. Instead of just pushing raw power, it focuses on clarity, alignment, and long-form reasoning. This makes it an excellent choice for complex projects, structured workflows, and conversations where nuance matters. With Claude Code, developers in particular are finding new ways to work faster while staying organized.

Grok and Qwen represent the new wave of AI challengers. Grok, from xAI, has built its identity around speed, wit, and humor, making interactions more engaging without sacrificing intelligence. Qwen, from Alibaba Cloud, is all about versatility, offering a wide range of model sizes that excel at multilingual tasks, coding, and even image editing. Both are proof that the AI landscape is getting broader and more dynamic every day.

As these models continue to evolve, the takeaway is clear: there’s no single best AI, only the best fit for your goals. Codex shines in coding, Claude thrives in thoughtful reasoning, Grok brings personality to problem-solving, and Qwen pushes the boundaries of scale and adaptability. Together, they highlight an exciting future where we can choose from a diverse toolkit of digital partners — each designed to help us think, create, and build in new ways.

I had a proper look at this today, and I came away really impressed. The whole suite feels fast and intuitive — snappy edits, clean results, and a layout that doesn’t slow you down. What really grabbed my attention, though, was the colorisation ability. It’s not just a gimmick — it handles subtle tones with surprising accuracy, breathing life into black-and-white images without that washed-out, artificial look you sometimes get elsewhere.

Put side by side with Gemini 2.5 Flash Image (Nano Banana), it’s easily on the same level, and in some respects — especially speed, ease of use, and the natural quality of its colorisation — it might even be ahead. It feels less like an alternative and more like a genuine leap forward in what image editing can offer.

Was released exclusively for a few days on OpenAI Plus and Pro accounts. It is now also available through the API.

A Flux.1 [Dev] image of Raquel Gibson, 2005.