OpenAI and Microsoft will form a partnership with the aim to collaborate on AI research. OpenAI's experiments in artificial intelligence will run on Microsoft's Azure cloud computing software.
OpenAI Partnership With Microsoft
According to CNET, Microsoft and OpenAI will work on using artificial intelligence (AI) to solve some of the most challenging problems of the world and focus on advancing the field of AI. Microsoft has announced the partnership with Elon Musk's OpenAI in a blog post, on Tuesday, Nov. 15. In a related press release, the high-tech giant added that it is committed of making artificial intelligence accessible to everyone.
In fact, the field of artificial intelligence is one of the most trending in tech right now. The advances in AI are fueled by fast networks, powerful chips and the massive trail of data that is continually growing. From the top brands in tech, like Google and Apple, to the smallest startups are all striving on creating smarter software. The long-term goal is to create AI devices that can think and behave like humans.
Elon Musk's OpenAI
OpenAI is a nonprofit research organization that was co-founded last December by Musk together with former Google research scientist Ilya Sutskever, Greg Brockman and Y Combinator's Sam Altman. On its company blog OpenAI said that it will run most of its large-scale experiments on Microsoft's Azure cloud computing technology.
The research group also said that accessing more and faster computers is one of the most important factors for accelerating its progress. Emerging AI technologies like generative models and reinforcement learning are particularly important for the organization.
According to The Verge, OpenAI is focused on developing artificial intelligence solutions that can benefit society on long-term. The research non-profit organization is aiming to create technologies that have positive long-term impacts on mankind, instead of technology that is solely profit-motivated or could potentially be used for harm.
How This Partnership Can Benefit Mankind?
In a recorded interview with Microsoft AI Research Group president Harry Shum, the co-chair of OpenAI, Altman, said that in terms of the goal of democratization to AI technology Microsoft is the large tech company most aligned with OpenAI. The technology created through the collaboration of the two companies is going to be very important and should belong to everyone in the world. OpenAI doesn't want to see that kind of vital technology concentrated in a single company or in a single government.
The partnership between OpenAI and Microsoft is mutually beneficial for both companies. OpenAI gathers some of the brightest minds in the field of artificial intelligence working on research problems that could help make critical breakthroughs and advance AI. In order to promote its goals, the nonprofit organization has pledged to share its knowledge and collaborate with others.
On the other side, Microsoft Research is a heavy contributor to open-source technologies and doesn't restrict any of that knowledge. The company is promoting high-level AI research being conducted on Azure, in order to prove its efficacy and to convince other AI companies to do the same. Microsoft has much to benefit because every company that relies on Azure also becomes a paying customer of its cloud services.
