ChatGPT vs Sarvam AI vs Gemini: How are they different in real life?

In the past year, the AI race has shifted from theory to reality, from research labs to living rooms, classrooms, and offices. While OpenAI’s ChatGPT remains the widely used AI tool, Google’s Gemini (formerly Bard) has become the global benchmark for search-integrated intelligence.

And now, Sarvam AI, a homegrown player from India, has entered the ring, bringing multilingual speed and cultural context to the mix.

Sarvam AI has made headlines for its quick responses and fluency across Indian languages, often outperforming ChatGPT in regional translation tests. But beyond the buzz and demos, how do these chatbots hold up in daily use? How fast are they? And which one makes the most sense in practical scenarios?

We put all three through identical, real-world tests, comparing their performance across translation, speech-to-text, and image analysis. But before we step into the details, let’s discuss the UI.

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To begin with, Sarvam AI’s interface feels distinctly different from traditional chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. While the latter two are classic large language models that respond through a single conversational window, Sarvam AI takes a more modular approach, breaking its services into separate, easy-to-access tools for different tasks.

Translation Test

Using the same script on all three platforms, Sarvam AI came out on top for speed. It translated text almost instantly, while ChatGPT and Gemini took a few extra seconds to process and respond.

Interestingly, Sarvam also localised certain keywords, such as OpenAI, Google, and AI, into Hindi or regional languages, while ChatGPT and Gemini stuck to English terminology. This small detail made Sarvam’s translations feel more native to Indian users, though sometimes slightly less precise in technical phrasing.

Sarvam AI currently supports five Indian languages — Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam.

When it comes to translation accuracy, ChatGPT still feels slightly more precise than the other two. One possible reason could be that Sarvam AI leans toward core or formal Hindi, while ChatGPT tends to produce a more conversational and natural-sounding version of the same text.

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Speech-to-Text

For transcription, we uploaded an interview recording. Sarvam AI processed the file smoothly and produced an accurate transcript within minutes.

ChatGPT, on the other hand, declined to handle the audio directly, suggesting an external transcription tool instead. Gemini initially rejected the file for being too long, and only accepted it after trimming, which isn’t ideal for longer interviews or podcasts.

In practical newsroom or content workflows, that extra friction matters.

Image Analysis

When we tested image analysis, the results flipped. ChatGPT provided the most detailed, context-aware breakdown, describing visuals accurately and even interpreting tone (for example, identifying emotion or mood in an image).

Gemini offered strong visual recognition but leaned towards search-driven responses, identifying what the image contained rather than interpreting it. Sarvam AI, still early in its multimodal phase, handled basic descriptions well but struggled with nuance or layered imagery.

Verdict

In essence, all three tools share the same foundation but reflect different philosophies, ChatGPT focuses on versatility, Gemini on connectivity, and Sarvam AI on localisation. Together, they mark how AI is becoming not just global, but personal. And in that race, Sarvam AI is fast emerging as India’s most credible answer to global giants.