Bergur Thormundsson
Research expert covering technology in the Nordics, AI and smart cities
OpenAI - statistics & facts
OpenAI, the AI powerhouse behind ChatGPT and DALL-E, has emerged as a leading tech company and research lab specializing in artificial intelligence (AI). The company’s mission is to ensure that AI is “safe and beneficial” for humanity. Originally established in 2015 by Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, among others, OpenAI stands among the most well-funded machine-learning startups globally, having secured more than 12 billion U.S. dollars in investments as of 2023. Prominent investors in OpenAI include Microsoft and Amazon, with Microsoft contributing one billion U.S. dollars in 2019 and an additional 10 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.
A divisive startup
The company gained significant public attention in late 2022 with the launch of ChatGPT 3.5, while in December 2023, controversial internal conflicts led to the removal of Sam Altman and Greg Brockman by the OpenAI board. Following their dismissal, nearly 80 percent of the staff threatened to resign, prompting Altman and Brockman's reinstatement within a week. This tumultuous period also resulted in most of the board resigning from their positions. While the company has stabilized thanks to increased involvement by Microsoft, in early 2024, it was dealing with a lawsuit from Elon Musk over violations of its principal tenants, as well as a U.S. government probe into the company's shareholder information.Made famous by ChatGPT and DALL-E
Much of the company’s success comes from its two most recently released projects, DALL-E and ChatGPT. These are fundamental to the success of the startup, though it has also released other open software such as Whisper, a natural language processing system focused on English. DALL-E, a generative AI art program released online in mid-2022 to rousing success, uses text-based descriptions to compile and generate art for users. ChatGPT, a chatbot software that can produce text-based solutions to issues presented to it, is OpenAI’s most well-known project. The sophistication of the program and the dialogue format make it possible for ChatGPT to answer follow-up questions, admit its mistakes, challenge incorrect premises, and reject inappropriate requests.What are the ramifications of advanced AI learning systems?
ChatGPT and DALL-E represent examples of deep learning, a more advanced form of AI and machine learning. While machine learning uses fixed data sets to produce a series of answers, deep learning allows for organic input of data to produce a more varied and targeted response. ChatGPT is clever enough to be able to produce university-level papers, creating a significant problem for academic institutes. DALL-E has faced similar controversy, with many artists voicing their opposition to computer-generated art. These ongoing, and sometimes rapid, changes to the capability of technology to interact with educational institutions and established fields are likely to become more prevalent in the coming years. How organizations adapt will determine how much they benefit from these changes.
