The world of artificial intelligence has reached a surprising milestone. According to Artificial Analysis, a leading AI evaluation firm, the latest Intelligence Index v4.0 shows a rare three-way tie among the top AI models.
OpenAI's GPT-5.2, Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.5, and Google's Gemini 3 Pro are now neck-and-neck, signaling a plateau in AI performance.
Specialized Strengths of Leading AI Models

Even with similar overall scores, each model excels in different areas.
The new benchmark also removed tests that top models had already mastered and introduced fresh challenges to measure real-world capabilities.
Specifications of Top AI Models:
- GPT-5.2: Best at abstract reasoning with โxhighโ reasoning mode. Can think deeply before giving answers.
- Claude Opus 4.5: Tops software engineering tasks with 80.9% on SWE-bench Verified.
- Gemini 3 Pro: Handles 1-million-token context. Supports video, audio, and image processing natively.
- New Benchmarks: AA-Omniscience (6,000 professional questions) and CritPt (doctoral-level physics reasoning) test modelsโ limits.
- Score Adjustment: Top scores reduced to 50 points or below to leave room for future improvements.
- Leaderboard Integrity: Rankings remain fully independent with no paid influence.
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Reality Check for AI Capabilities
The benchmark reveals AIโs current limits. Only GPT-5.2 and Claude Opus 4.5 scored positively in AA-Omniscience. In CritPt, no model exceeded 10%, with Gemini 3 Pro leading at 9.1%. Experts say AI can โchatโ like a PhD but cannot yet โresearchโ like one.
Analysts note that enterprises are now adopting multi-model strategies. Companies may use GPT-5.2 for strategic tasks, Claude Opus 4.5 for technical work, and Gemini 3 Pro for multimedia projects. Instead of relying on overall scores, organizations should focus on specific strengths when selecting AI models.
The results mark a turning point in AI. With the best AI models 2026 showing both promise and limitations, companies now have to carefully choose the right tool for the right task.
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