Global Courant
Microsoft and Google have recently made major investments in two of the most valuable artificial intelligence (AI) companies. OpenAI, which developed ChatGPT, has a a staggering $10 billion investment from Microsoftwhile Google has invested $300 million in Anthropic.
The companies’ financial support for AI has highlighted an ongoing rivalry. Google’s battle for dominance with Microsoft is increasingly at the forefront of discussions about AI’s future success.
Google has made huge contributions to AI development, including the invention of transformers – a particular form of machine learning, where an algorithm gets better at tasks because it is “trained” on data – the advancement of techniques for automating the translation of languages and the acquisition of AI company DeepMind.
While Google has consistently positioned itself at the forefront of AI development, an important milestone was reached with the introduction of ChatGPT. California-based company OpenAI released ChatGPT in November 2022 and a more advanced version, GPT-4was unveiled in February 2023.
The advent of ChatGPT sparked a widespread discussion about artificial general intelligence (AGI) – where machines surpass human intellect. This was also the focus of warnings from Geoffrey Hinton, an influential figure in AI, who gave several interviews outlining his concerns about the technology after resigning from Google earlier this year.
Thereafter, the number of research articles focus on large language models (LLMs) – the type of AI technology on which ChatGPT is based – increased. Other AI research areas, such as dialogue systems and information retrieval, are up for losers.
In the midst of this rapid technological disruption, it seems that Google fears losing its technological edge and market dominance.
Contradictory position?
This concern is not unjustified. Created by a direct competitor, ChatGPT has leveraged Google’s pioneering internet search techniques to generate significant profits. Furthermore, the flow of talent from Google to OpenAI — along with the latter’s rapid growth — has become a worrying trend for the search giant.
When OpenAI was founded was one of the principles create software that was “open source”., where software is publicly available for developers to share and modify. Google, meanwhile, has maintained a relatively consistent commercial approach to its plans and ambitions.
However, the recent shift from OpenAI to commercialism and closed-source practices seems to contradict the original business philosophy.
ChatGPT successfully uses search techniques developed by Google. Giulio Benzin/Shutterstock
Some industry insiders have criticized OpenAI because of his somewhat contradictory attitude. While it presents itself as a champion of open-source AI, it is unmistakably a commercial entitya fact it does not readily admit.
This tension between OpenAI’s public image and the business reality has made the rivalry with Google even more intriguing.
A likely result of this competition is the continued evolution and refinement of AI technology, spurred by the need to stay ahead of the market. Google’s techniques, once exploited by OpenAI for commercial gain, are likely to see further innovation.
This evolution will not only improve the functionality of AI applications, but also significantly improve user experiences.
Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president at Microsoft, recently indicated that the company did not feel it necessary to overhaul the search landscape, as even a one-point increase in market share represented a $2 billion increase in value This strategic downsizing of their ambitions could be an attempt to reduce competitive pressures in the technology industry.
Stronger supervision
It’s worth noting that Microsoft’s association with OpenAI adds another layer to this complex rivalry. Google has also shown a willingness to invest in outside AI projects to expand its influence.
For example, the company’s investment in Anthropic, an AI research company, reflects Google’s strategy to maintain its technological edge through strategic partnerships.
A concern that appeals to many people, including myself, is the potential for misinformation, disinformation, and distortion created by ChatGPT. With over 200 million users, it serves approximately 2.53% of the world’s population.
Widespread disinformation on social media has significant has eroded trust in online content and reportedly influenced the 2016 US presidential election.
With such a huge user base for ChatGPT, it’s conceivable that technology companies could manipulate conversations and subtly influence users’ preferences and decisions in numerous ways. Therefore, the need for stronger control and regulation of these large language models is becoming increasingly urgent.
The welcome screen for the OpenAI “ChatGPT” app is displayed on a laptop screen in London, England on February 3, 2023. Photo: Twitter/Leon Neal/Getty Images
Despite growing competition for AI, Google remains a respected entity in the global technology industry. The AI rivalry between Google and Microsoft has pushed both companies to push the boundaries of this technology, promising promising advancements in the years to come.
The different strategies used in this competition, from talent acquisition to strategic investments, reflect the importance of the stakes in the AI landscape. Particularly by acquiring top talent, these companies can improve their AI capabilities, giving them a competitive advantage.
Strategic investments, on the other hand, enable diversification and expansion into new AI applications and industries, increasing their influence and market share in the AI field. These actions underline the high value and potential of AI technology in shaping our future.
Yali Du is a lecturer in Artificial Intelligence, King’s College London
This article has been republished from The conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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