As of September 2023, OpenAI has recorded a significant increase in the number of paid users in its business segment, including ChatGPT Enterprise, Team, and Edu. The company’s total number of paid users has risen by 67% from 600,000 in April to 1 million. The San Francisco-based AI company continues this growth thanks to advanced language models.
New Subscription Plans on the Way
According to information reported by Reuters, OpenAI’s paid products in the business segment have shown significant growth since April. The AI models offered by the company continue to attract significant interest, especially in the business world. OpenAI is reportedly planning to introduce new subscription plans that include larger language models. Some of these models are known by the names Strawberry and Orion.
The company is said to be considering offering higher-priced subscription options for these new language models. It is claimed that the monthly cost of these new subscriptions could go up to $2,000. This development could be a significant step for users in the business world seeking more advanced AI solutions.
Competition with xAI on the Agenda
Elon Musk’s new AI venture xAI is also drawing attention. Launched in July 2023, xAI’s AI assistant named Grok-2 has started to be offered to Premium or Premium+ members on the X platform. Musk stated that xAI could become a serious competitor to OpenAI by the end of 2024.
Elon Musk said, “xAI could be a competitor to OpenAI by the end of 2024.”
These developments indicate that competition in the AI market is heating up, with different companies racing to develop large language models. The rapid rise of xAI could further increase competition in the sector.
Investment Interest in OpenAI
OpenAI’s valuation could reach $100 billion with a new funding round. Major tech giants like Apple and Nvidia are reported to plan to participate in this round. Microsoft has also invested $13 billion in OpenAI since 2019 and currently owns 49% of the company. The company is expected to further increase its valuation with new funding.
Additionally, the number of active users of ChatGPT continues to grow. As of August, the weekly active user count has surpassed 200 million. Despite this rapid growth, the company’s annual sales are still below expectations. As of May 2024, annual sales figures are around $3.4 billion.
AI Regulations and Safety Tests
Regulations concerning AI safety are also drawing attention. OpenAI has announced its support for California’s proposed AB 3211 AI law. This law mandates the marking of metadata for visual and auditory content generated by AI. However, the company opposed another bill called SB 1047, introduced by Senators Scott Wiener, Richard Roth, and others in February 2023.
OpenAI said, “Transparency in AI-generated content is important.”
Additionally, on September 5, the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom signed an international agreement on regulating AI. The agreement emphasizes the importance of oversight and regulations to ensure AI systems do not harm human rights. However, criminal penalties for potential violations have not yet been determined.
OpenAI’s rapid growth shows that it holds a significant position in the AI world. The interest of major companies like Apple and Nvidia could further increase the potential in this sector. However, ongoing debates on AI safety and regulations will play a critical role in the future of this technology. The increasing competition with developing technologies will require companies to offer more innovative solutions.
