Show-Me AI: Model selection

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One great feature of Show-Me AI is the ability to select which AI model you would like to use depending on your task and what you wish to accomplish. Below is a brief description of the strengths and weaknesses of each available model.

Claude 4.1 Opus

Best for: Deep reasoning, long-form writing, complex analysis and high-stakes thinking tasks where quality matters most.

Weaknesses: Slower and overkill for simple tasks.

Token cost: $$$ Expensive (premium use).

Environmental Rating: Moderate-High Impact

Claude 4.5 Haiku (default)

Best for: Fast everyday writing, summaries, emails, brainstorming and lightweight analysis.

Weaknesses: Not ideal for very deep reasoning or multistep logic.

Token cost: $ Cheap (excellent for daily use).

Environmental Rating: Moderate Impact

Claude 4.5 Sonnet

Best for: A strong balance of reasoning and fluency — great for structured writing, teaching materials and moderate analysis.

Weaknesses: Costs more than Haiku and still slightly weaker than Opus on the hardest problems.

Token cost: $$ Midrange.

Environmental Rating: Moderate-High Impact

Gemini 2.0 Flash

Best for: Ultra-fast responses, quick summaries, simple Q&A and high-volume workflows.

Weaknesses: Shallow reasoning and weaker long-form writing.

Token cost: $ Very cheap.

Environmental Rating: Low-Moderate Impact

Gemini 2.5 Pro

Best for: Strong reasoning, coding, research tasks and analytical problem-solving with speed.

Weaknesses: Writing tone can feel more technical or less polished than Claude.

Token cost: $$ Midrange.

Environmental Rating: Moderate-High Impact

ChatGPT-4.1

Best for: Reliable reasoning, structured outputs, coding help and general professional use.

Weaknesses: Slower and more expensive than newer “mini” or fast models.

Token cost: $$ Mid-to-high.

Environmental Rating: High Impact

ChatGPT-4.1 mini

Best for: Everyday chat, light reasoning, simple coding and instructional support.

Weaknesses: Struggles with complex logic chains and nuanced writing.

Token cost: $ Cheap.

Environmental Rating: Moderate Impact.

ChatGPT-5 mini

Best for: Very fast, low-cost general tasks like drafting, summarizing and basic automation.

Weaknesses: Not good with large responses or assistants. Limited depth compared to full GPT-4 or Claude Sonnet+ models.

Token cost: $ Cheap.

Environmental Rating: Moderate Impact

Llama 4 Maverick 17B Instruct

Best for: Environmentally friendly option. Open-source-style workflows, experimentation, and cost-controlled deployments.

Weaknesses: Less refined writing and reasoning than top proprietary models.

Token cost: $ Cheap.

Environmental Rating: Low Impact.