Microsoft Secures Exclusive License to OpenAI's Powerful GPT-3 Model
Microsoft gains exclusive access to the underlying code of GPT-3, the world's largest language model, marking a major shift for OpenAI from its original nonprofit mission.
OpenAI grants Microsoft an exclusive license to GPT-3, the world's most advanced language model capable of generating essays, songs, and web page layouts from simple prompts. While OpenAI plans to keep its public API available for select users to exchange text inputs and outputs, only Microsoft possesses access to the model's underlying code.
This exclusive arrangement allows Microsoft to embed, repurpose, and modify the powerful AI system as it sees fit across its various products and services. The tech giant announces the partnership but does not yet specify exactly which consumer or enterprise applications will feature the GPT-3 technology.
The deal marks a significant departure from OpenAI's original founding as a nonprofit dedicated to benefiting all of humanity. After accepting a massive billion-dollar investment from Microsoft in 2019 and establishing a for-profit arm, the AI lab shifts its focus toward commercializing its breakthrough technologies to sustain its expensive research operations.