Microsoft invests $10 billion in ChatGPT creator OpenAI to develop 'powerful' AI system

Microsoft has confirmed that it is making a "multibillion-dollar" investment in OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot. Microsoft said that it plans to expand its existing partnership with the company to add more artificial intelligence to its products. In a separate blog post, OpenAI said the investment will be used to "develop AI that is increasingly safe, useful, and powerful".

Microsoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, said in a statement, "We formed our partnership with OpenAI around a shared ambition to responsibly advance cutting-edge AI research and democratise AI as a new technology platform."

Microsoft makes billion-dollar investments in OpenAI

OpenAI's ChatGPT gained traction on the internet when the company launched this tool without prior notice in November, allowing users to experience its ability to write articles, essays, and poems as well as computer code in just seconds. Notably, the tool was banned in universities and schools for its ability to help students cheat in examinations. The tool was banned in cities like New York City and Washington, DC, and it evoked serious debates about the future of office work.

Notably, Microsft recently announced that it would soon add ChatGPT features to its cloud computing service, Azure, allowing the ChatGPT tool to be available on the service, which could also help businesses use the tools directly within its apps and services. The latest announcement has come after Microsoft's CEO announced the plans to remove at least 10,000 employees as what the company called a cost-cutting measure. 

After Open AI allowed access to ChatGPT in November last year, it has been used to write articles for at least one media house, also used to write lyrics in the style of various artists, and also draught research paper abstracts that led to concern in the scientific community. Also, some CEOs have used the platform to write emails or do accounting work.