I talked to 5 AIs about my cat, Mr. Giggles – and it says a lot about the state of chatbots

To set up the voice in ChatGPT, open the iOS or Android app. Tap the double-line icon at the top, select your account name at the bottom, and choose Voice. You can then cycle through and listen to the various voices to find the one you like best. I’m a sucker for British accents, so I chose Vale, a female voice that touts itself as bright and inquisitive.

To kick off a conversation, return to the main screen and tap the voice icon to the right of the prompt. I told ChatGPT about our anxiety issues with Mr. Giggles, and it provided a sympathetic and informative virtual shoulder.

For a live conversation with Copilot, open the iOS or Android app. Tap the three-lined hamburger icon at the upper left, select your profile icon, and then tap Voice Settings. Tap each of the different voices to hear which one you prefer. With my proclivity for British accents, I went with the Wave voice.

Also: Meta AI can summarize your unread WhatsApp messages now – how to try it

After returning to the main screen, tap the microphone icon to the right of the prompt. Here, I told Copilot about my cat issues. In response, the AI reassured me that we would figure this out. It asked me if I’ve noticed any specific triggers, to which I replied that he started feeling anxious after a vet visit.

I also asked if there were any items I could get to help with his anxiety. Copilot mentioned pheromone diffusers as well as calming treats and supplements. The conversation provided both comfort and information with a tone that was sympathetic and understanding.

To get started with Gemini, open the iOS or Android app. Tap your profile icon in the upper right, select Settings, and then choose the setting for Gemini’s voice. Swipe through the different voices to find your favorite. I chose Capella, a soothing voice with a slight British accent.

Back at the main screen, tap the Gemini Live icon all the way to the right of the prompt. Again, I posed the problem of our anxious Mr. Giggles. Gemini asked if anything had changed in his environment. After I mentioned the vet, the AI acknowledged that vet visits can be stressful for cats. It suggested pheromone diffusers, calming collars, calming music, and favorite toys or games.

Also: ChatGPT’s iOS app downloaded 30 million times last month – clobbering all social apps

The advice here was helpful, but Gemini didn’t quite convey the same sympathy and reassurance as the other chatbots. I also had to drag some of the information out of the AI, as its comments and responses were typically brief and more close-ended.

To chat with Meta AI, download the app for your iPhone or Android device. Tap your profile icon in the upper right and select Voice. You can choose among a variety of voices, including some that mimic certain celebrities. Tap a voice to listen to it and then choose the one you like. I picked the one that sounded like actress Kristen Bell.

At the main screen, tap the Talk button to kick off the conversation. As with the other AIs, I brought up our challenges with Mr. Giggles. In return, Meta was very responsive and adept at carrying on a back-and-forth conversation. Each comment or response was succinct but detailed.

Also: Does your generative AI protect your privacy? New study ranks them best to worst

I also liked the way Meta’s words appeared on the text as it was speaking, and were accessible after the conversation ended. Meta AI didn’t quite express the same sympathetic tone of voice as ChatGPT and Copilot, but it was effective.

To converse with Grok, grab the iOS or Android app. You may not be able to change Grok’s voice, so you could be stuck with the default one. However, the default voice is pleasing enough. You can also tweak Grok in other ways.

At the app’s home screen, tap the two-lined icon in the upper left, select the Settings icon at the bottom, and then tap the setting Customize Grok. Here you can determine how Grok responds to you — concise, formal, socratic, or custom. I chose the custom option and told it to be sympathetic and understanding.

At the main screen, tap the icon for Voice Mode. Once more, I told the AI about the issue with our cat’s anxiety. Here, Grok provided a lot of information and advice, actually too much at one time. Instead of brief comments that lend themselves to a conversation, the AI threw a lot of details at me in one shot.

Also: AI agents will threaten humans to achieve their goals, Anthropic report finds

The information was extremely useful and practical, but it felt less like a conversation and more like a Q&A session. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I would’ve liked more back-and-forth. On the plus side, though, Grok’s words appeared on the screen during the conversation and in a transcript afterwards.