June 26, 2023, noon
What does OpenAI do?
OpenAI is the most popular provider of generative AI models like GPT-4.
Technically
The TL;DR
OpenAI researches and builds Machine Learning models, and sells access to them.
Building ML models yourself to use day in and day out is really hard for companies without specialized expertise
For years, big companies (Google, AWS, etc.), and smaller startups too, have built businesses on selling access to their home grown models
OpenAI does the same: researches, builds, and sells access to powerful ML models like GPT and DALL-E
The company is a bit strange: they’re a combination of a non-profit and for-profit corporation
OpenAI has obviously been all over the news over the past year, and is probably one of the most important companies in the world right now – so let’s dig in.