Microsoft To Invest More In OpenAI, As It Looks To Compete With Google In AI

Microsoft said it would invest more in OpenAI, staking its future on the startup and tech behind the chatbot sensation ChatGPT, as well as setting the stage for more competition with its rival Google.

Recently touting a revolution in artificial intelligence (AI), Microsoft is building on a bet it made nearly four years ago on OpenAI. In 2019 it dedicated $1 billion for the startup co-founded byElon Musk and investor Sam Altman, and has since built a supercomputer to power OpenAI’s technology, among other forms of support.

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In a blog post, Microsoft said, “Today, we are announcing the third phase of our long-term partnership with OpenAI through a multiyear, multibillion dollar investment to accelerate AI breakthroughs to ensure these benefits are broadly shared with the world.”

A Microsoft spokesperson declined to comment on the terms of the investment, which some media outlets earlier reported would be $10 billion.

Microsoft is committing even more resources to keep the two companies at the forefront via so-called generative AI, technology that can learn from vast data how to create virtually any type of content simply from a text prompt. OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which produces prose or poetry on command, is the prime example that last year gained widespread attention in Silicon Valley.