There may come a time when people stop throwing money at OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, but that time is not now.
OpenAI’s latest haul: A cool $8.3 billion in new funding.
Observes lead writer Andrew Ross Sorkin: “DealBook hears that the company’s annual recurring revenue has soared to $13 billion, up from $10 billion in June — and is projected to surpass $20 billion by the end of the year.”
Key to fueling that growth are five million business users — up from three million from just a few months ago, according to Sorkin.
In other news and analysis on AI writing:
*ChatGPT-Maker Mulls a Discount Version: OpenAI is playing with the idea of offering a discount version of ChatGPT – at $10-$15/month — according to writer Irfan Ahmad.
The stripped-down version would still offer robust writing, but might not include other advanced features like AI agents, advanced customization or features for developers, according to Ahmad.
If the discount version emerges, it will most likely be dubbed ‘ChatGPT Go.’
*Google Search Enhances ‘AI Mode:’ Released earlier this summer, Google Search AI Mode has already nabbed a facelift.
With the enhanced version, you can now:
–Upload images and PDFs in AI Mode to give Google more context to your searches
–Use a ‘Canvas’ feature that enables you to build plans and organize searches over multiple sessions
–Show AI Mode video you see in the real world and ask questions about that video
*New York Times Licenses Its Content to Amazon: Writer Alexandra Bell reports Amazon will be paying The New York Times at least $20 million/year to use Times content on Amazon.
With the deal, expect Times content to start popping-up on Amazon’s product pages.
In addition, the Times has also given Amazon the right to train its AI using content from the paper.
*Writer Adds an AI Agent: Long-time AI pioneer Writer has expanded its feature mix to include an AI agent.
Observes Waseem Alshikh, chief technology officer, Writer: “Action Agent is a general-purpose autonomous agent that represents a fundamental leap in how we interact with technology.
“It can understand complex, multi-step requests, create a plan — and then autonomously use the same tools we do – browsers, terminals, file systems, code interpreters – to get the job done.”
*Google Reveals “Better than ChatGPT” Experimental Research Tool: Google is out with a new feature that reportedly offers next generation AI research capability for users looking to generate in-depth reports.
The new approach to AI research is “inspired by the iterative nature of human research through repeated cycles of searching, thinking and refining,” according to writer Sajjad Ansari.
Dubbed ‘Test-Time Diffusion Deep Researcher,’ the tool is still in experimental mode. But it’s still worth tracking by writers looking for the ultimate solution for in-depth AI research.
*ChatGPT-Maker Wants a Cut From In-App Sales: ChatGPT’s maker OpenAI is putting together an interesting offer to online retailers: We’ll promote your products in ChatGPT, but we want a taste.
Observes Medium: “People familiar with the plans state that OpenAI is actively working on an in-chat checkout experience.
“This would let users complete purchases inside the platform — and merchants would then pay OpenAI a commission on each sale.”
*Microsoft Updates CoPilot, Its AI Assistant: Writers using Microsoft 365 Copilot to generate supplemental images should find those can be more photorealistic now, thanks to a recent overhaul of the AI tool.
Other perks include tighter integration with the Microsoft Edge browser, Microsoft Teams and availability of Copilot as an app for MacOS.
Memory fans will also like enhancements that enable Copilot Memory to recall key facts about you — such as your preferences, working style and favorite topics.
*Shopify Drops AI Blog Optimizer for Online Retailers: Digital merchants looking to get their blogs picked up by the search engines will want to check-out a new SEO optimizer from Shopify.
Dubbed ‘AI Rewrite App,’ the tool instantly rewrites and SEO-optimizes retail blogs.
Observes Fredy Dellis, CEO, TheGenieLab: “With the AI Rewrite App, merchants can now refresh their blog library in seconds, drive more traffic — and keep content aligned with evolving SEO strategies.”
*AI BIG PICTURE: Snapshot: Increasing Numbers of CEOs Warn of AI-Driven Job Loss: Investors Business Daily offers an excellent wrap-up on the growing AI take-over of white collar jobs in this 11-minute video.
Once a taboo subject, unvarnished predictions of job loss due to AI are becoming increasingly common among CEOs.
Included is a report on Microsoft, which has credited AI for racking-up $500 million in savings – as the company continues to slash jobs.
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–Joe Dysart is editor of RobotWritersAI.com and a tech journalist with 20+ years experience. His work has appeared in 150+ publications, including The New York Times and the Financial Times of London.
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