- OpenAI is the company behind ChatGPT, while Google created the Bard chatbot.
- Both ChatGPT and Bard are premium AI tools.
- Meta Platforms has released a free version of its artificial intelligence model.
As the race for artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates, Meta Platforms—the company behind Facebook and the relaunched Threads—on Tuesday unveiled a new, free version of its AI model.
The new AI entrant will compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Bard and could influence the pace of upcoming AI tools, including AltSignals’ blockchain-driven ActualizeAI ecosystem. AltSignals is currently conducting a presale of the ASI token, the cryptocurrency that will power ActualizeAI.
The AltSignals presale is progressing through its third phase (phase 2) following successful BETA and phase 1 rounds. The ASI token price rises with each stage and is currently priced at $0.01875.
Meta’s open-source approach to AI
Unlike OpenAI and Google, Meta chose not to keep all of its generative AI work closed. Instead, it released Llama, a language model designed specifically for researchers so they can refine and experiment with it.
Whereas many of the high-profile models from OpenAI and Google remain closed and proprietary, Llama is open source, allowing anyone to inspect, modify, and build on its inner workings. Leading models such as OpenAI’s GPT-4 and numerous other generative AI tools are proprietary; users cannot access their source code or detailed explanations of how their training data is handled.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook that “open source drives innovation because it enables many more developers to build with new technology.” He added that when more people can examine open-source software to find and fix potential problems, “it also improves security.”
This emphasis on security highlights a contrast with some OpenAI models, which have at times alarmed users by producing false information or behaving unpredictably during chatbot interactions.
Llama 2, the recently released upgraded version of Meta’s Llama model, will be available for companies to download or access through a special arrangement with Microsoft’s Azure cloud service.
Microsoft raises AI pricing
Microsoft has partnered with both OpenAI and Meta to integrate their AI technologies into Microsoft services.
But reflecting the rapid and sometimes unexpected economic shifts driven by AI, Microsoft announced on Tuesday that it will increase prices for access to new AI features within its widely used office software by at least 53%.
The company also said it will immediately offer a more secure version of the Bing search engine for businesses, aiming to address data-protection concerns, spur corporate interest in AI, and better compete with Google.
Under the revised pricing, customers will now pay $30 per user per month for Microsoft 365’s AI copilot, which promises to draft emails in Outlook, generate documents in Word, and surface much employee data via a chatbot, Microsoft said during its virtual Inspire conference.
Microsoft is directing businesses to Bing Chat Enterprise, a search-based chatbot that can generate internet-derived content.
Unlike the public Bing experience that millions of web users have accessed in recent months, the enterprise version will not allow user data to be viewed or stored for model training. Employees must sign in with work credentials to receive that protection.