01ChatGPT Isn’t Just a Tool Anymore
Most AI products are loved for what they do. ChatGPT is increasingly loved for what it helps people become. Self-Expression drives 41% of ChatGPT’s emotional profile, versus 27% for Problem-Solving, making it an outlier in a category dominated by utility.
That matters because features get copied and models converge. Identity is harder to replicate. Users describe ChatGPT as their “smartest best friend,” suggesting the relationship is shifting from software toward something more personal.
Takeaway: The AI that wins may not be the smartest. It may be the one users can’t imagine working without.
What Drives the Relationship?
Leading psychographic motivation by AI brand
- ChatGPT — Self-Expression41
- Perplexity — Problem-Solving30
- DeepSeek — Problem-Solving / Value28
- Grok — Problem-Solving25
- Meta Muse — Problem-Solving22
- Claude — Problem-Solving / Self-Expression21
- Google Gemini — Value-Oriented21
02Brand Love Isn’t Evenly Distributed
ChatGPT leads with a 119 Love Score, followed by Claude at 104. The gap widens quickly from there, with five of seven brands scoring 101 or below.
Takeaway: In a crowded AI market, emotional affinity is already separating the leaders from the pack.
Love Score Leaderboard
- ChatGPT119
- Claude104
- Meta Muse101
- Google Gemini100
- Grok92
- Perplexity90
- DeepSeek85
03Perplexity Has Fans and Friction
Perplexity leads the category in advocacy at 2.7%, but its 4.0% barrier rate reveals friction around free limits and pricing.
The problem isn’t creating more love. It’s removing what gets in its way.
Takeaway: Growth may come from reducing friction, not building more affinity.
Love vs friction
View chart data
| Entity | Barrier % | Advocacy % |
|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 1.28 | 1.45 |
| Claude | 1.33 | 0.83 |
| Meta Muse | 4.01 | 1.76 |
| Google Gemini | 2.66 | 1.59 |
| Grok | 1.77 | 0.49 |
| PerplexityHighlighted | 4.1 | 2.89 |
| DeepSeek | 3.15 | 0.61 |
04Muse's barrier is trust. For every other assistant, it's price.
Trust makes up 66% of the barriers people raise about Muse, more than double the next-highest assistant (ChatGPT, 26%). Privacy concerns are a major driver of that friction. Price, the leading barrier for six of seven assistants, barely registers for Muse at 9%.
Takeaway: Muse's friction isn't cost. It's trust.
Friction and loyalty
Friction
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Brand names remain in view.
| Brand | Price | Quality | Logistics | Availability | Trust | Service | Feature | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 47% | 11% | 26% | 5% | 11% | |||
| Claude | 67% | 33% | ||||||
| Meta Muse | 9% | 3% | 12% | 66% | 3% | 6% | 1% | |
| Google Gemini | 29% | 14% | 21% | 21% | 7% | 7% | ||
| Grok | 70% | 20% | 10% | |||||
| Perplexity | 52% | 10% | 2% | 10% | 15% | 6% | 6% | |
| DeepSeek | 62% | 14% | 19% | 5% |
Loyalty
Scroll horizontally to see all columns. Brand names remain in view.
| Brand | Recommendation | Brand Love | Sharing | Defense |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 86% | 10% | 5% | |
| Claude | 50% | 50% | ||
| Meta Muse | 70% | 17% | 13% | |
| Google Gemini | 50% | 50% | ||
| Grok | 50% | 50% | ||
| Perplexity | 76% | 18% | 7% | |
| DeepSeek | 33% | 67% |