Explainer: What is Generative AI, the technologies behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT?

March 17 (Reuters) – Generative artificial intelligence has turn out to be a buzzword this year, capturing the public’s fancy and sparking a rush amongst Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Alphabet (GOOGL.O) to launch merchandise with technologies they think will adjust the nature of operate.

Right here is anything you have to have to know about this technologies.

WHAT IS GENERATIVE AI?

Like other types of artificial intelligence, generative AI learns how to take actions from previous information. It creates brand new content material – a text, an image, even laptop or computer code – primarily based on that coaching, as an alternative of merely categorizing or identifying information like other AI.

The most popular generative AI application is ChatGPT, a chatbot that Microsoft-backed OpenAI released late final year. The AI powering it is recognized as a significant language model mainly because it requires in a text prompt and from that writes a human-like response.

GPT-four, a newer model that OpenAI announced this week, is “multimodal” mainly because it can perceive not only text but photos as properly. OpenAI’s president demonstrated on Tuesday how it could take a photo of a hand-drawn mock-up for a web site he wanted to develop, and from that produce a genuine a single.

WHAT IS IT Superior FOR?

Demonstrations aside, companies are currently placing generative AI to operate.

The technologies is valuable for developing a initially-draft of advertising and marketing copy, for instance, even though it may perhaps demand cleanup mainly because it is not ideal. One particular instance is from CarMax Inc (KMX.N), which has made use of a version of OpenAI’s technologies to summarize thousands of buyer critiques and aid shoppers determine what made use of car or truck to invest in.

Generative AI likewise can take notes throughout a virtual meeting. It can draft and personalize emails, and it can generate slide presentations. Microsoft Corp and Alphabet Inc’s Google every demonstrated these options in item announcements this week.

What is Incorrect WITH THAT?

Nothing at all, though there is concern about the technology’s possible abuse.

College systems have fretted about students turning in AI-drafted essays, undermining the difficult operate expected for them to understand. Cybersecurity researchers have also expressed concern that generative AI could permit poor actors, even governments, to create far extra disinformation than prior to.

At the identical time, the technologies itself is prone to generating errors. Factual inaccuracies touted confidently by AI, referred to as “hallucinations,” and responses that look erratic like professing adore to a user are all motives why providers have aimed to test the technologies prior to generating it extensively readily available.

IS THIS JUST ABOUT GOOGLE AND MICROSOFT?

These two providers are at the forefront of analysis and investment in significant language models, as properly as the largest to place generative AI into extensively made use of computer software such as Gmail and Microsoft Word. But they are not alone.

Huge providers like Salesforce Inc (CRM.N) as properly as smaller sized ones like Adept AI Labs are either developing their personal competing AI or packaging technologies from other people to give customers new powers via computer software.

HOW IS ELON MUSK INVOLVED?

He was a single of the co-founders of OpenAI along with Sam Altman. But the billionaire left the startup’s board in 2018 to steer clear of a conflict of interest involving OpenAI’s operate and the AI analysis becoming carried out by Telsa Inc (TSLA.O) – the electric-car maker he leads.

Musk has expressed issues about the future of AI and batted for a regulatory authority to make certain improvement of the technologies serves public interest.

“It is pretty a harmful technologies. I worry I may perhaps have carried out some factors to accelerate it,” he mentioned towards the finish of Tesla Inc’s (TSLA.O) Investor Day occasion earlier this month.

“Tesla’s performing great factors in AI, I never know, this a single stresses me out, not certain what extra to say about it.”

(This story has been refiled to appropriate dateline to March 17)

Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in Palo Alto, Calif. and Akash Sriram in Bengaluru Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty

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