What is OpenAI?
OpenAI is an AI research company that created ChatGPT, DALL-E, and the GPT series of language models. Founded in 2015, it became a household name in 2022 when ChatGPT captured the world's attention.
Mission
"Ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity." OpenAI aims to develop safe, beneficial AI—though its methods are debated.
History
2015: Founding
Founded by Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and others as a nonprofit research lab. Initial $1 billion commitment.
2019: Transition
Created "capped-profit" structure to raise money for expensive AI training. Elon Musk departed the board.
2019-2022: Building
Released GPT-2, GPT-3, DALL-E. Microsoft invested $1 billion, becoming key partner.
2022: ChatGPT
November 30: ChatGPT launched. 100 million users in 2 months—fastest-growing consumer app ever.
2023: GPT-4 & Growth
GPT-4 launched. Microsoft invested $10+ billion. Valued at $80+ billion.
Key Products
- ChatGPT — Conversational AI for text, code, analysis
- GPT-4 — Most advanced language model (powers ChatGPT Plus)
- DALL-E — Image generation from text
- Whisper — Speech recognition (open source)
- Sora — Video generation (announced 2024)
- API — Developers build on OpenAI's models
Impact
- Made AI accessible to millions of non-technical users
- Triggered AI race among tech giants
- Drove massive investment in AI industry
- Sparked global discussions about AI regulation
Controversies
- Nonprofit to profit — Critics argue original mission was abandoned
- Safety vs. speed — Debates about rushing deployment
- Training data — Lawsuits over copyrighted content
- Leadership drama — November 2023 board crisis
Key People
- Sam Altman — CEO
- Greg Brockman — President
- Ilya Sutskever — Former Chief Scientist
- Mira Murati — CTO
Summary
- • OpenAI created ChatGPT and the GPT series
- • Founded 2015 as nonprofit, transitioned to capped-profit
- • ChatGPT (2022) sparked the current AI boom
- • Now valued at $80+ billion with Microsoft as key partner