SEAL Showdown: How Real People Are Changing the AI Model Leaderboard

The explosion of large language models (LLMs) has unlocked new ways to interact with technology, but traditional benchmarks often fail to answer a critical question: Which AI model actually works best for you? Most leaderboards are built on synthetic tests and a small subset of users, leaving everyday people with little guidance tailored to their real needs.

Limitations of Traditional AI Leaderboards

Conventional model rankings are dominated by hobbyists and tech insiders. This narrow perspective skews results, making it tough for the average user to know how a model will perform in their daily life or professional workflow. These leaderboards also ignore important context, such as a user's background, language, and goals, which are crucial for understanding true model effectiveness.

Introducing SEAL Showdown: Real-World AI Evaluation

SEAL Showdown is transforming how we compare AI models. Powered by Scale AI’s global network, SEAL Showdown gathers millions of data points from over 100 countries, featuring 70+ languages and 200+ professions. This approach goes beyond lab tests, capturing how diverse users interact with AI in practical, meaningful scenarios.

• Representative Rankings: Ratings come from regular users, not just AI specialists.
  
  
• Demographic Insights: Results can be filtered by country, language, age, education, and profession, allowing users to see which models work best for people like them.
  
  
• Real-World Relevance: Evaluations reflect actual workflows and authentic tasks, not just artificial benchmarks.

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What the Data Reveals

• Regional Trends: ChatGPT dominates in Europe, while Claude and ChatGPT lead in other global regions. Gemini performs especially well in Africa and Oceania.
  
  
• Language Performance: Gemini stands out among non-English speakers, outperforming its English-language results.
  
  
• Demographic Preferences: Users aged 30-50 prefer ChatGPT, while Claude and Gemini are favorites for both younger and older users.

Building Trust in AI Rankings

To ensure fairness, SEAL Showdown keeps recent data private for 60 days, preventing AI developers from gaming the system. Participation is fully voluntary, with contributors offering feedback as it fits naturally into their work—helping guarantee honest, unbiased ratings.

The Future of AI Model Comparisons

SEAL Showdown is setting a new standard for benchmarking by focusing on inclusivity, transparency, and real-world impact. This approach offers valuable insights for both users seeking the best model for their needs and developers looking to improve AI for everyone, everywhere. For a closer look at the methodology and detailed results, see the SEAL Showdown Technical Report.

Takeaway

By bringing real user experiences to the forefront, SEAL Showdown moves beyond synthetic benchmarks. It empowers individuals and organizations to make informed choices as AI becomes an essential part of daily life.

Source: Scale AI Blog