ChatGPT maker OpenAI planning to release a new open-source language model

ChatGPT maker OpenAI is gearing up to make a significant move in the world of artificial intelligence (AI) development by releasing a new open-source language model. This comes as open-source AI models gain momentum, posing a challenge to industry giants like Google and OpenAI. This development comes weeks after a leaked letter from a senior engineer at Google also acknowledged the progress made by open-source AI tools and its direct threat to Google and OpenAI.

The specifics of OpenAI's upcoming open-source model remain undisclosed. However, it is not expected to directly compete with the flagship ChatGPT. Instead, it is anticipated to contribute to the growing ecosystem of open-source AI.

OpenAI's generative AI gained significant momentum when it launched ChatGPT to the public. This triggered a race among tech companies, with Google quickly announcing its own Bard chatbot. Meta Platforms, not wanting to be left behind, granted academics access to advanced machine-learning models capable of understanding conversational language. These models were then transformed into open-source software, leading to the development of free alternatives to ChatGPT and other proprietary AI software.

How is open-source AI better? 

The rapid advancement of free AI models has brought them to a level of performance that is comparable to proprietary models from Google and OpenAI. As a result, many software developers are expected to choose open-source alternatives. 

The availability of free alternatives empowers developers and researchers worldwide, democratizing access to cutting-edge technology and driving further advancements in the field. 

Also Read: Taming the AI juggernaut: Why we need to curb AI's negative tendencies

Google senior engineer believes open source AI will overtake ChatGPT, Bard

The leaked letter from a Google senior software engineer further emphasizes the rise of open-source models, particularly in natural language processing (NLP). The engineer argues that the open-source community has made significant progress, solving major NLP problems at a faster rate than large tech companies like Google and OpenAI. The engineer highlights advancements such as low rank adaptation (LoRA), which reduces the cost and time of model fine-tuning.

The letter suggests that Google and OpenAI should pay more attention to the work being done by the open-source community and prioritize enabling third-party integrations. While Google and OpenAI may still hold a slight edge in terms of language model quality, the gap is closing rapidly, and open-source models are becoming increasingly capable, customizable, and privacy-focused.

To adapt to this new reality, the engineer recommends that companies collaborate with outside researchers and prioritize third-party integrations. The letter suggests that companies should focus on creating small variants of models that can be easily updated, rather than relying on resource-intensive giant models.

Also read: Google Translate helps 68-year-old woman reunite with family after getting lost in Kedarnath