Latest news with #OPENAI
The Journal
5 days ago
- Business
- The Journal
OpenAI releases new ChatGPT version with 'PhD level' expertise, but it can't spell 'blueberry'
OPENAI RELEASED A keenly awaited new generation of its hallmark ChatGPT yesterday, touting 'significant' advancements in artificial intelligence capabilities as a global race over the technology accelerates. ChatGPT-5 is rolling out free to all users of the AI tool, which is used by nearly 700 million people weekly, OpenAI said in a briefing with journalists. Co-founder and chief executive Sam Altman touted this latest iteration as 'clearly a model that is generally intelligent.' Altman cautioned that there is still work to be done to achieve the kind of artificial general intelligence (AGI) that thinks the way people do. 'This is not a model that continuously learns as it is deployed from new things it finds, which is something that, to me, feels like it should be part of an AGI,' Altman said. 'But the level of capability here is a huge improvement.' The rollout has not been without issues though. ChatGPT-5 has struggled to give correct answers to simple prompts since it was released. It even denies its own existence when asked about it. In response to the question, 'Is this ChatGPT-5?', the large language model replied: 'You're currently chatting with ChatGPT-4o architecture, which is part of the GPT-4 family – not ChatGPT-5.' A screenshot of ChatGPT-5 telling the user it is not ChatGPT-5. Screenshot taken by The Journal Screenshot taken by The Journal Another example of the new version of the chatbot making a basic error has prompted derision from some social media users. ChatGPT-5 cannot spell the word 'blueberry'. When users asked how many times the letter 'b' appears in the word, it replied that there are three. I had to try the 'blueberry' thing myself with GPT5. I merely report the results. [image or embed] — Kieran Healy ( @ ) August 8, 2025 at 1:04 AM Industry analysts have heralded the arrival of an AI era in which genius computers transform how humans work and play. 'As the pace of AI progress accelerates, developing superintelligence is coming into sight,' Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg wrote in a recent memo. Advertisement 'I believe this will be the beginning of a new era for humanity.' Altman said there were 'orders of magnitude more gains' to come on the path toward AGI. 'Obviously… you have to invest in compute (power) at an eye watering rate to get that, but we intend to keep doing it.' Tech industry rivals Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and Elon Musk's xAI have been pouring billions of dollars into artificial intelligence since the blockbuster launch of the first version of ChatGPT in late 2022. Chinese startup DeepSeek shook up the AI sector early this year with a model that delivers high performance using less costly chips. 'PhD-level expert' With fierce competition around the world over the technology, Altman said ChatGPT-5 led the pack in coding, writing, health care and much more. 'GPT-3 felt to me like talking to a high school student — ask a question, maybe you get a right answer, maybe you'll get something crazy,' Altman said. 'GPT-4 felt like you're talking to a college student; GPT-5 is the first time that it really feels like talking to a PhD-level expert in any topic.' Altman expects the ability to create software programs on demand — so-called 'vibe-coding' – to be a 'defining part of the new ChatGPT-5 era.' In a blog post, British AI expert Simon Willison wrote about getting early access to ChatGPT-5. 'My verdict: it's just good at stuff,' Willison wrote. 'It doesn't feel like a dramatic leap ahead from other (large language models) but it exudes competence – it rarely messes up, and frequently impresses me.' However, Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that his Grok 4 Heavy AI model 'was smarter' than ChatGPT-5. Honest AI? ChatGPT-5 was trained to be trustworthy and stick to providing answers as helpful as possible without aiding seemingly harmful missions, according to OpenAI safety research lead Alex Beutel. 'We built evaluations to measure the prevalence of deception and trained the model to be honest,' Beutel said. ChatGPT-5 is trained to generate 'safe completions,' sticking to high-level information that can't be used to cause harm, according to Beutel. The company this week also released two new AI models that can be downloaded for free and altered by users, to challenge similar offerings by rivals. The release of 'open-weight language models' comes as OpenAI is under pressure to share inner workings of its software in the spirit of its origin as a nonprofit. With reporting from David Mac Redmond
Business Upturn
12-06-2025
- Business
- Business Upturn
OpenAI in talks with Saudi PIF, Reliance for $40 billion fundraise, eyes additional $17 billion in 2027: Report
By News Desk Published on June 12, 2025, 09:15 IST OpenAI is reportedly in discussions with major investors from Saudi Arabia and India, including the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Reliance Industries, as part of its ambitious $40 billion fundraising plan, according to The Information . The report highlights that OpenAI has held conversations with both Middle Eastern and Indian financial heavyweights, signalling the company's intent to broaden its global investor base. The discussions are part of OpenAI's efforts to secure capital for its AI infrastructure and long-term growth strategy. In addition to the current fundraising round, OpenAI has informed potential investors that it aims to raise another $17 billion in 2027, further underlining the scale of its future expansion plans. OPENAI HAS DISCUSSED RAISING MONEY FROM SAUDI ARABIA, INDIAN INVESTORS – THE INFORMATION OPENAI HAS TALKED TO SAUDI'S PIF AND INDIA'S RELIANCE FOR ITS $40 BILLION FUNDRAISE- THE INFORMATION OPENAI HAS TOLD INVESTORS IT WANTS TO RAISE ANOTHER $17 BILLION IN 2027 – THE… — First Squawk (@FirstSquawk) June 11, 2025 Meanwhile, OpenAI's lead investor SoftBank has reportedly been buying employee shares, indicating continued confidence in the AI firm's valuation and growth trajectory. The reported talks with sovereign wealth funds and major corporate entities come as OpenAI continues to lead the global artificial intelligence race with innovations like ChatGPT and partnerships across the tech ecosystem. News desk at
The Sun
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
OpenAI retains non-profit control amid Musk lawsuit, changes
OPENAI has dialed back a significant restructuring plan, with its nonprofit parent retaining control in a move that is likely to limit CEO Sam Altman's power over the pioneering maker of ChatGPT. The announcement follows a storm of criticism and legal challenges, including a high-profile lawsuit filed by rival and co-founder Elon Musk, who has accused OpenAI of straying from its founding mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. 'OpenAI was founded as a non-profit, is today a non-profit that oversees and controls the for-profit, and going forward will remain a non-profit that oversees and controls the for-profit. That will not change,' Altman said in a blog post on Monday. OpenAI had outlined plans in December to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation, a structure designed to balance shareholder returns with social goals, unlike nonprofits, which are solely focused on public good. Under that proposal, the nonprofit parent would have been a big shareholder in the PBC but would cede control over the startup. On Monday, OpenAI said the nonprofit parent would continue to control the PBC and become a big shareholder in it. The company will push ahead with plans to change the structure of its for-profit arm to allow more capital-raising to keep pace in the AI race. The move to an outright for-profit was intended to help OpenAI raise more capital and ease restrictions tied to its nonprofit parent. But it sparked concerns over whether the company would fairly allocate assets to the nonprofit and how it would balance profit-making with its mission to develop AI for the public good. 'We made the decision for the nonprofit to stay in control after hearing from civic leaders and having discussions with the offices of the Attorneys General of California and Delaware,' Bret Taylor, chairman of OpenAI's board, said in a blog post, adding that the new announcement meant the startup would continue to have a structure 'extremely close' to the current one. Altman called the move a compromise 'that (works) well enough for investors that they're happy to continue to fund us to a degree we think we will need.' He said OpenAI would work with major backer Microsoft, regulators and newly appointed nonprofit commissioners to finalize the updated plan, and decide how much equity stake in the for-profit business each party would receive. 'We believe this is well over the bar of what we need to be able to fundraise,' Altman said, adding there were 'no changes to any existing investor relationships' and that the company would proceed with the earlier plan to remove caps on the profit that investors can earn. But questions remain over what exactly was changing, and what level of control the non-profit will have under the newly proposed plan, which lacks details. Currently, OpenAI's nonprofit fully owns the for-profit entity, and the nonprofit board's mission is ensuring that 'artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity,' instead of providing value for shareholders. 'We're glad that OpenAI is listening to concerns from civil society leaders ... but crucial questions remain,' said Page Hedley, OpenAI's former policy and ethics adviser, and lead organizer of the group Not For Private Gain. 'Will OpenAI's commercial goals continue to be legally subordinate to its charitable mission? Who will own the technology that OpenAI develops? The 2019 restructuring announcement made the primacy of the mission very clear, but so far, these statements have not,' he said. He added he was concerned that in the PBC structure, the board would be obligated to maximize shareholder value. Musk suit to proceed As the expensive pursuit of artificial general intelligence, or AI that surpasses human intelligence, heats up, OpenAI has been looking to make changes to attract further investment. It announced in March it would raise up to $40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group, at a $300 billion valuation. The round was contingent on the AI firm transitioning to for-profit status by the end of the year, a structure that drew attention in November 2023 during one of the biggest boardroom dramas in Silicon Valley, where members of the nonprofit board ousted Altman over a breakdown in communication and loss of trust. He was reinstated after five days, following an outpouring of support from employees and investors. Altman said OpenAI would still be able to receive funding from the Japanese tech investor after Monday's move. SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Microsoft declined to comment. The announcement also came amid a bitter legal battle brought by OpenAI co-founder Elon Musk, which sought to block OpenAI's transition away from nonprofit control, among other claims. A jury trial had been scheduled for March 2026. Musk's lawyer said there was no plan to drop the lawsuit against OpenAI. 'The announcement obscures critical details about the supposed 'non-profit control' arrangement, and particularly the sharply reduced ownership stake the non-profit will receive in Altman's for-profit enterprise - where the non-profit currently holds majority equity.' A consortium led by Musk had also made an unsolicited $97.4 billion bid for OpenAI earlier this year that was swiftly rebuffed by Altman with a 'no thank you.'
Business Times
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Times
OpenAI dials back conversion plan, nonprofit to retain control
OPENAI has dialled back a significant restructuring plan, with its nonprofit parent retaining control in a move that is likely to limit CEO Sam Altman's power over the pioneering maker of ChatGPT. The announcement follows a storm of criticism and legal challenges, including a high-profile lawsuit filed by rival and co-founder Elon Musk, who has accused OpenAI of straying from its founding mission to develop artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity. 'OpenAI was founded as a non-profit, is today a non-profit that oversees and controls the for-profit, and going forward will remain a non-profit that oversees and controls the for-profit. That will not change,' Altman said in a blog post on Monday. OpenAI had outlined plans in December to convert its for-profit arm into a public benefit corporation, a structure designed to balance shareholder returns with social goals, unlike nonprofits, which are solely focused on public good. Under that proposal, the nonprofit parent would have been a big shareholder in the PBC but would cede control over the startup. On Monday, OpenAI said the nonprofit parent would continue to control the PBC and become a big shareholder in it. The company will push ahead with plans to change the structure of its for-profit arm to allow more capital-raising to keep pace in the AI race. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up The move to an outright for-profit was intended to help OpenAI raise more capital and ease restrictions tied to its nonprofit parent. But it sparked concerns over whether the company would fairly allocate assets to the nonprofit and how it would balance profit-making with its mission to develop AI for the public good. 'We made the decision for the nonprofit to stay in control after hearing from civic leaders and having discussions with the offices of the Attorneys General of California and Delaware,' Bret Taylor, chairman of OpenAI's board, said in a blog post, adding that the new announcement meant the startup would continue to have a structure 'extremely close' to the current one. Altman called the move a compromise 'that (works) well enough for investors that they're happy to continue to fund us to a degree we think we will need.' He said OpenAI would work with major backer Microsoft, regulators and newly appointed nonprofit commissioners to finalize the updated plan. 'We believe this is well over the bar of what we need to be able to fundraise,' Altman said, adding there were 'no changes to any existing investor relationships' and that the company would remove caps on the profit that investors can earn. He noted that public benefit corporations have become common at AI companies including rivals such as Anthropic, which is backed by Amazon as well as Alphabet's Google, and at Musk's xAI. But some questions remain over what exactly was changing and whether the move made it harder for OpenAI to raise capital as aggressively as it might have under a more conventional corporate structure. 'We're glad that OpenAI is listening to concerns from civil society leaders ... but crucial questions remain,' said Page Hedley, OpenAI's former policy and ethics adviser, and lead organizer of the group Not For Private Gain. 'Will OpenAI's commercial goals continue to be legally subordinate to its charitable mission? ... Who will own the technology that OpenAI develops? The 2019 restructuring announcement made the primacy of the mission very clear, but so far, these statements have not,' he said. He added he was concerned that in the current PBC structure, the board would be obligated to maximise shareholder value. Expensive AI As the expensive pursuit of artificial general intelligence, or AI that surpasses human intelligence, heats up, OpenAI has been looking to make changes to attract further investment. It announced in March it would raise up to US$40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group, at a US$300 billion valuation. The round was contingent on the AI firm transitioning to for-profit status by the end of the year, a structure that drew attention in November 2023 during one of the biggest boardroom dramas in Silicon Valley, where members of the non-profit board ousted Altman over a breakdown in communication and loss of trust. He was reinstated after five days, following an outpouring of support from employees and investors. Altman said OpenAI would still be able to receive funding from the Japanese tech investor after Monday's move. SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Microsoft declined to comment. The announcement also raised questions over the future of Musk's lawsuit which sought to block OpenAI's transition away from nonprofit control, among other claims. A jury trial had been scheduled for March 2026. A consortium led by Musk had also made an unsolicited US$97.4 billion bid for OpenAI earlier this year that was swiftly rebuffed by Altman with a 'no thank you.' REUTERS
