AI Chatbots: My Top 23 Picks for 2025 [Video]

When I first heard about AI chatbots, I was skeptical. Could a bot really hold a conversation as naturally as a human?

My skepticism wasn’t unfounded — earlier chatbots I’d interacted with felt clunky, unable to handle anything beyond basic inquiries. But as AI technology has rapidly evolved, so have the capabilities of these chatbots.

Today, machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP) tools can interpret complex requests, adapt to unique situations, and even analyze emotions.

This transformation piqued my interest, so I decided to dive in and test some of the leading options myself. In this post, I’ll share what I’ve learned about AI chatbots — what they are, how they work, and the top tools you can explore for personal and professional use.

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