OpenAI, the company behind the AI chatbot ChatGPT, is reportedly preparing to publicly release an open-source artificial intelligence (AI) model.
In a May 16 report from The Information, which cited a person with knowledge of the plan, OpenAI is taking action amid mounting pressure from competing open-source AI models, such as the Meta leaked model. There is no reported timeline for when the model will be released.
It is said that OpenAI's open-source model may not be able to compete with its flagship product, ChatGPT, because the company derives its value from being able to sell access to its more complex models.
OpenAI faces stiff competition from open-source AI models like Meta's LLaMa — initially restricted to researchers but leaked in its entirety by a user of image board site 4chan in late February. Other open-source models include one from Stability AI, which open-sourced its large-scale language model in April, and Databricks' Dolly 2.0 AI, which was open-sourced days before Stability AI. An open source model means that the complete code is available to all. Anyone has the right to modify the model for any reason or to make it fit for a specific purpose. Some companies choose to open source their software because they think it can benefit from contributions from outside developers.
Those who build such models also receive significant support funding. On May 15, artificial intelligence company Together said it raised $20 million in a seed round, with crypto figures including Oasis Labs co-founder Dawn Song, OpenSea co-founder Alex Atallah and Uniswap COO Mary-Catherine Lader - Its stated mission is to provide open source generative AI models.
In early May, a document leaked by Luke Sernau, a senior software engineer at Google, pointed to open-source AI models as a significant threat to the company's own AI work. "The disturbing truth is that we are not equipped to win this arms race, and neither is OpenAI," Sernau wrote. He added that while Google is distracted by competition with OpenAI, open-source AI models are quietly becoming more advanced. "They are taking advantage of us," he wrote. "The open source model is faster, more customizable, more private, and more powerful."
