OpenAI: Transforming AI Buzz into Practical Business Solutions
OpenAI is experiencing significant challenges in converting the current enthusiasm for artificial intelligence into tangible business applications. This is according to Oliver Jay, the company’s managing director of international strategy, who spoke at CNBC’s CONVERGE LIVE on Thursday.
Jay highlighted that working with large language models represents a “new paradigm” that necessitates guardrails, with safety and moderation issues requiring careful consideration.
He also pointed out the rapid increase in ChatGPT usage, particularly in Singapore, which has the highest per-capita usage of OpenAI’s chatbot globally. OpenAI had previously announced plans to open an office in Singapore last October. During the discussion, he spoke about the difficulty of transitioning from advanced AI concepts to actual business products. “The biggest challenge right now is… converting that enthusiasm into real-life production-ready use cases,” he said. “The gap is AI fluency — to know how to turn these concepts into actual business products.”
Jay emphasized that artificial intelligence presents a special opportunity for companies, especially those in Asia.
“This is the first time Asian companies, potentially, can take a leadership role on a global stage,” he said. “Traditionally, you see technology adopted in Silicon Valley first, and then Europe. … Now there could be a company from Asia that will be the most innovative.”
He noted the “tremendous demand in the market across all segments,” indicating that the company is “just trying to keep up with the demand.” This is a shift from other technological advancements. Jay described AI adoption as happening “everywhere all at once.” ChatGPT has a huge user base; “ChatGPT recently exceeded 400 million weekly active users.”
“AI is not this mercurial mystery. It’s actually ready,” Jay said. “Companies are being transformed already.”
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, is a San Francisco-based AI chatbot that uses deep learning to generate human-like responses. The company was co-founded in 2015 by Elon Musk and Sam Altman and is backed by prominent investors, including Microsoft.
