Microsoft set to invest in ChatGPT’s OpenAI

Microsoft has announced a new multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment with OpenAI, the creators of ChatGPT. The specific investment amount has not been disclosed, but earlier reports suggest that Microsoft could be investing as much as $10 billion. This marks the third phase of the partnership between the two companies, following Microsoft’s previous investments in 2019 and 2021.

In a blog post, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained that the renewed partnership will accelerate breakthroughs in AI and help both companies commercialize advanced technologies in the future. He said, “We formed our partnership with OpenAI around a shared ambition to responsibly advance cutting-edge AI research and democratize AI as a new technology platform.”

OpenAI works closely with Microsoft’s cloud service Azure, which will continue to serve as OpenAI’s exclusive provider. The new investment will also help the two companies engage in supercomputing at scale and create new AI-powered experiences.

OpenAI is widely regarded as one of the top three AI labs worldwide, and has developed game-playing AI software that can beat humans at video games such as Dota 2. However, the company has also gained attention for its AI text generator GPT-3 and its quirky AI image generator Dall-E.

ChatGPT, its latest offering, automatically generates text based on written prompts in a more advanced and creative way than previous chatbots. The software debuted in late November and quickly turned into a viral sensation as tech executives and venture capitalists praised it on Twitter, even comparing it to Apple’s debut of the iPhone in 2007.