The threat to OpenAI is growing
Apple, Nvidia and Microsoft are in talks to invest in OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, at precisely the moment when it’s become apparent that the company will face tougher competition than ever in the burgeoning artificial-intelligence market. Much of that new competition is coming from startups that promise to undercut OpenAI’s services with ones that could be cheaper to use, and also better at certain narrow tasks. At least one tech giant sees promise in the new crop of AI startups.
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Facebook’s parent, Meta Platforms, is positioning his company as a champion for the little guys, letting outside developers use Meta’s cutting-edge AI model, Llama, free of charge. Google has also released an open-source AI that’s not nearly as capable as Meta’s. In a July letter, Zuckerberg argued that this open-source approach “will ensure that more people around the world have access to the benefits and opportunities of AI" without concentrating power in the hands of tech giants.
Open-source software can be used commercially by pretty much anyone. Examples include the Android operating system, developed by Google but available for any manufacturer to use in mobile devices without paying. That stands in contrast to the more typical, “closed" approach taken by companies that control who can use their software.
Microsoft, for instance, charges manufacturers a licensing fee to install its Windows operating system on their computers. Apple doesn’t let other companies use its iPhone or Mac operating systems. For the most part, OpenAI falls into this latter camp—charging end users and companies to access its most powerful models.
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