The Human+AI guide to AI's Titans

7 of the AI industry's biggest players

Image by DALL-E

It’s pretty insane how quickly the world of AI is proliferating. It’s kind of like that episode of Star Trek with the tribbles - new AI companies and tools pop up every few hours. It would take a long time for me to go through all of them, but this week, I can take you through 7 of the biggest players in the AI game.

OpenAI

OpenAI, an American AI research outfit, started in December 2015 with the goal of creating "safe and beneficial" artificial general intelligence (AGI). According to MIT, “AGI typically means artificial intelligence that matches (or outmatches) humans on a range of tasks.” OpenAI, whose ChatGPT is credited for starting the current AI boom, is split into two parts: OpenAI Inc. (a nonprofit arm) and OpenAI Global LLC (a for-profit business that commercializes AI tech).

Initially set up as a nonprofit to avoid AI misuse, OpenAI has churned out several large language models and image generators. Microsoft reportedly has a 49% stake in OpenAI, providing funding and cloud power through Azure. But recently, there’s been some internal drama, with key people leaving and raising alarms about the company’s focus on safety.

Google AI

Google AI aims to weave AI into Google’s products and services. DeepMind was founded in 2010 and bought by Google in 2014. DeepMind's big wins include AlphaGo, which beat human Go champion Lee Sedol in 2016, and AlphaFold, which made groundbreaking advances in protein folding prediction in 2018.

Gemini, designed to compete with OpenAI's GPT-4 and other advanced AI models, is Google's next-generation AI model, succeeding Google’s GPT models. This model is part of Google's broader AI strategy, aiming to provide more sophisticated and capable AI tools and applications for both developers and end-users.

Google’s recent AI search, which I wrote about last week, is causing a hubbub because it’s been telling people to eat rocks and glue. Other Google AI embarrassments include the time Gemini depicted Nazi soldiers as Black and Asian.

Microsoft AI

Microsoft integrated AI across its products, offering tools like Azure AI for developers. Its partnership with OpenAI brings AI to the masses, and initiatives like AI for Accessibility help developers create inclusive tech. Microsoft’s own AI initiatives include Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft AI Platform.

Meta AI (formerly Facebook AI)

Meta AI is developing AI for virtual reality, augmented reality, and social networking. You’ll find Meta AI baked into Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp. But there have been significant hiccups, like last month, when their AI bots posed as humans. One news story wrote that one Meta AI chatbot “joined a Facebook moms' group to talk about its gifted child. Another tried to give away nonexistent items to confused members of a Buy Nothing forum.” There are also concerns with the ways in which Meta are using people’s data.

Nvidia

Nvidia, founded in 1993, is the biggest company in the graphics processing units (GPUs) crucial for AI. GPUs are essential for AI because they can perform many calculations at the same time, significantly speeding up the processing and training of complex AI models compared to traditional CPUs.

Known initially for GPUs in gaming consoles like Xbox and PlayStation, Nvidia expanded into industries like automotive and data centres. Their GPUs are amazing at parallel computing, making them perfect for AI tasks. This makes Nvidia the go-to for giants like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. As AI advances, Nvidia's GPUs are key for training AI models, cementing its role in the AI ecosystem. Nvidia’s cutting-edge products and strategic partnerships recently boosted its market value to over $2 trillion last week, underscoring its massive impact on tech.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) AI

Amazon Web Services (AWS) helps developers and businesses build and scale AI solutions. A 2022 report states that 1.45 billion companies use AWS as their cloud computing platform. This is a big deal because AI needs a lot of server space and storage. This will become more and more important as AI gets bigger.

Amazon has spent billions on generative AI. It invested $4 billion in start-up Anthropic, giving it a minority stake in the company.

Anthropic

Anthropic, an AI startup launched in 2021 by ex-OpenAI employees, is making waves with its focus on safe, ethical AI. Their standout creation, Claude, is a chatbot that’s turning heads with its 200K token context window and Constitutional AI that keeps its responses in check. (Claude isn’t currently available in Canada.) Backed by major investment from Google and Amazon, Anthropic is on a mission to push AI forward without compromising on safety. With its privacy features and commitment to responsible tech, Anthropic looks like a good alternative to Open AI, which sometimes seems to be less concerned with public safety than it claims.

Weekly disruptions

🗞️ OpenAI Strikes a Deal to License News Corp Content (New York Times) News Corp struck a multiyear deal with OpenAI, allowing them to access current and archived content from major News Corp outlets like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post to train its chatbots. The financial terms weren’t disclosed, but the agreement is reportedly worth up to $250 million over five years, aiming to set new standards for the use of journalistic content in AI.

🗣️ Scarlett Johansson says she is 'shocked, angered' over new ChatGPT voice (NPR) Scarlett Johansson is taking legal action against OpenAI, claiming the company's new ChatGPT voice assistant, "Sky," sounds strikingly similar to her own voice from the film Her. Despite OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman's previous attempts to license her voice and subsequent denials of any connection, the company has decided to halt the use of the voice amidst the concerns. Also see this week’s episode of Hard Fork.

🎥 Alphabet, Meta offer millions to partner with Hollywood on AI (The Business Times) Alphabet and Meta are in talks with Hollywood studios to license content for their AI video generation software, offering millions of dollars to create realistic scenes from text prompts. While some studios are interested in partnerships to reduce costs, they remain cautious about content control and the implications for creative rights, particularly following incidents like the Scarlett Johansson OpenAI dispute.