Microsoft Exposes OpenAI Through Azure:
Over at the Wall Street Journal, Tom Dotan tells us more about Microsoft’s interest in OpenAI in ChatGPT Spotlights Microsoft’s Early Efforts to Monetize AI, writing that “ChatGPT is still finding its feet.” AI researchers have noted a number of drawbacks that hinder its progress, including its high cost of operation, slow speed, and occaisional propensity to emit fabricated facts.
Microsoft, hoping to hasten the adoption of the technology, recently announced that any company can apply to use OpenAI through its Azure cloud-computing platform.
OpenAI Plus…. Copilot, Bing, and Microsoft Designer
The article goes on to say that last year, Microsoft released GitHub Copilot, a tool built on the OpenAI platform and embedded within the GitHub code-collaboration site. This tool has proven to be a valuable asset to many programmers, with Microsoft estimating that it can generate up to 40% of the code in files on which it is enabled.
AI users have observed that this is an example of how AI technology is best when paired with human professionals for specialized tasks. The rapid advancements in this technology over a short period of time have suggested its ability to quickly solve problems that remain.
Dotan tells us that Microsoft has already begun to leverage OpenAI’s cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology in its Bing search engine and other graphical-design software, such as Microsoft Designer. The integration of AI into Bing searches has led to many analysts speculating that this could help Microsoft gain market share away from Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which currently controls around 90% of the market. AI-powered searches could prove to be a powerful tool in the battle for market share. According to Microsoft, two hundred customers have already signed up to use OpenAI’s tools.
However, Microsoft is not the only player, and Microsoft’s moves into generative AI may be having effects on other companies. Google began at the cutting edge of generative AI, but their tools have been less accessible to the public than some of their competitors. Realizing they may be losing ground, they are now attempting to gain traction by also opening their tools to the public. Meta Platforms Inc. and Salesforce Inc. are also experimenting with the technology.
