ChatGPT Search for all
Facebook asks California AG to stop OpenAI for-profit
AI's biggest annual event: NeurIPS
ChatGPT Search for all
OpenAI announced on Monday that it is expanding access to its ChatGPT-powered internet search feature to all users, intensifying competition with Google's search dominance. The San Francisco-based company had initially introduced search capabilities to its ChatGPT generative AI chatbot in late October, but this feature was limited to paying subscribers.
The newly available feature allows users to obtain "fast, timely answers" with links to relevant web sources, a function that previously required traditional search engines, according to the company. "We're bringing search to all logged-in free users of ChatGPT," said OpenAI Chief Product Officer Kevin Weil in a YouTube video. "This means it will be accessible globally on every platform where you use ChatGPT."
Instead of launching a separate product, OpenAI has integrated search directly into ChatGPT. Historically, AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude have been constrained by time cutoffs, limiting the currency of their responses. In contrast, Google and Microsoft have combined AI-generated answers with real-time web results. OpenAI has also introduced a new, pricier ChatGPT Pro subscription option at $200.
ChatGPT will automatically decide which queries to route through ChatGPT Search by default, or users can manually select the "Search the web" icon in the ChatGPT interface….
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Presents:
12 Days of OpenAI: o1 & ChatGPT Pro for $200
OpenAI cofounder Ilya Sutskever says the way AI is built is about to change
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Facebook asks California AG to stop OpenAI for-profit
Meta Platforms(Facebook) has called on California Attorney General Rob Bonta to block OpenAI's transition to a for-profit entity, aligning itself with Elon Musk in a high-stakes clash among Silicon Valley's leading AI companies. In a letter dated Thursday, Meta argued that permitting OpenAI to become a for-profit company would set a dangerous precedent, allowing startups to exploit nonprofit status benefits until they are ready to turn a profit.
"OpenAI’s actions could have profound implications for Silicon Valley," Meta stated. "If OpenAI's new business model is accepted, nonprofit investors would gain the same for-profit advantages as traditional investors, while also enjoying government tax write-offs."
OpenAI Chairman Bret Taylor responded, assuring that a nonprofit arm would remain post-restructuring, retaining full value in its stake of the for-profit entity and enhancing its mission to ensure AI benefits humanity.
OpenAI's close ties with Meta's rivals, Microsoft and Apple, add another layer to the dispute. Microsoft is OpenAI's largest investor, and Apple has integrated ChatGPT into its AI offerings. Meta has previously stayed out of the ongoing feud between Musk, who co-founded OpenAI in 2015 and left in 2018, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Musk, now leading the rival AI firm xAI, has filed multiple legal complaints against OpenAI, the latest last month, accusing it of abandoning its nonprofit roots and colluding with Microsoft to dominate AI development.
Meta concluded its letter by urging the Attorney General to act, while expressing confidence in Musk and his associate Shivon Zilis to represent Californian interests in this matter….
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AI's biggest annual event: NeurIPS
Over the past week, more than 16,000 computer scientists and enthusiasts gathered in British Columbia for NeurIPS, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, now recognized as AI's premier annual event. Since 1987, AI's brightest minds have convened at NeurIPS, initially in Denver and later in Vancouver and other cities. Once a niche gathering, the conference has evolved into a major industry event.
Last week, leading figures in AI shared their visions with eager attendees packed into an exhibition hall. "The more it reasons, the more unpredictable it becomes," remarked Ilya Sutskever, former chief scientist at OpenAI.
Hanna Wallach from Microsoft Research highlighted a greater focus on improving AI evaluations and measurement science this year. David Ha, co-founder of startup Sakana AI, noted a significant increase in new strategies for test-time compute to address the high costs and technical challenges of scaling up models.
The conference has grown far beyond its early days, when a small group of outliers could fit into a hotel bar. It now serves as a fertile ground for corporations to showcase their innovations and attract academics into lucrative business ventures. Attendees recalled Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg's appearance in 2013.
This year, major companies like Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft synchronized their AI announcements with the event. The turnout was so large that NeurIPS started a day later than usual to avoid clashing with a Taylor Swift concert, ensuring AI scientists wouldn't compete for hotel rooms….