OpenAI announced on Wednesday, October 2, that it had completed a major fundraising of $6.6 billion (€6 billion), valuing it at $157 billion. This announcement reinforces the ChatGPT creator’s status as a Silicon Valley star and key player in generative artificial intelligence (AI).
“Every week, more than 250 million people around the world use ChatGPT to improve their work, creativity and education”the company said in a brief statement. It especially counts on this financing to continue its “cutting-edge research” in AI, increase your computing capabilities (generative AI consumes a lot of energy) and “create new tools”.
Venture capital firm Thrive Capital confirmed it led the funding round. Several names of potential investors have been circulating in the American press for weeks, including Microsoft, which has already injected $13 billion into the start-up, and the giant Nvidia, another leader in generative AI thanks to its ultra-sophisticated chips designed specifically . for new technology. According to the Wall Street JournalJapanese conglomerate SoftBank and MGX, a UAE-backed investment fund, are also in the game, but Apple, which already uses OpenAI models in its new generative AI system, recently pulled out of negotiations.
OpenAI launched the wave of generative AI (content production from a simple query in everyday language) at the end of 2022 with its ChatGPT interface, which has become synonymous with this new type of service. Since then, from Microsoft to Google and Meta (Facebook, Instagram), all the major technology groups compete with tools designed to help human beings in their daily lives, from writing messages to education and artistic creation.
OpenAI, at the same level as SpaceX
This fundraising makes OpenAI one of the three largest unlisted startups in the world, according to Bloomberg, along with SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space exploration group, and Chinese entertainment giant ByteDance, owner of the TikTok app.
The company’s big step, still confidential two years ago, comes after a year marked by the launch of new innovative AI models, but also by numerous controversies. Last June, the addition of voice to ChatGPT forced OpenAI to apologize to actress Scarlett Johansson for having designed a voice very similar to hers, sparking controversy over the creation of voices copied from those of humans. Above all, last November the board of directors fired Sam Altman, co-founder of OpenAI, accusing him of a lack of transparency and attention to security issues. After a few days he was reinstated to his position at the head of the start-up, supported by the vast majority of employees and the main investor, Microsoft.
But since then there has been a succession of departures at the top. In May, co-founder and chief scientist Ilya Sutskever left the group, as did Jan Leike, responsible for managing risks associated with generative AI. Then another co-founder, John Schulman, also disappeared, while president Greg Brockman went on leave. And Mira Murati, OpenAI’s chief technology officer, resigned last week, without revealing her reasons.
Internal tensions
The internal tensions could be related to the recent evolution of OpenAI, originally founded in 2015 as a non-profit organization, which is supposed to work for the good of humanity. According to the Wall Street JournalInvestors in this round will have the right to withdraw their funds if the organization does not become a for-profit company. Sam Altman could also get a stake in his company, which would likely make him a billionaire.
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OpenAI expects to lose around $5 billion this year, despite revenue of around $3.7 billion, according to the New York Timesdue in particular to the costs related to the operation of the models. In mid-September, OpenAI launched o1, a new type of AI model, capable of reasoning and answering more complex questions, particularly mathematical ones, in the hope of reducing the risk of hallucinations (absurd, incoherent or false answers).
“o1 thinks before answering”assured OpenAI, which wants to develop an AI “general”that is, artificial intelligence but similar to that of humans. “We are advancing our mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all humanity”the startup stated in its press release on Wednesday.
