Bergur Thormundsson
Research expert covering technology in the Nordics, AI and smart cities
ChatGPT - statistics & facts
ChatGPT reigned supreme throughout 2023, but the major tech companies have not been idle in their own generative AI developments. 2024 heralds the race to create the most effective multimodal generative AI. This variant of generative AI can take in different types of datasets and process them, enabling it to handle text, images, sounds, numbers, and more. ChatGPT is owned and developed by OpenAI, one of the most successful AI startups in the market. The backing of Microsoft, which is by far the largest financial investor in OpenAI, is vital to the company's future, especially as the cost of running programs like ChatGPT is considerable. This cooperative relationship between OpenAI and Microsoft has been integral in the creation of ChatGPT and its ongoing development.
GPT-4o is available in both mobile and browser-based versions, with the former being a lighter program with slightly reduced capabilities. The browser version allows users to fully ChatGPT’s strengths. It is also capable of many visual and voice tasks at near human response rate in conversation.
Rapidly evolving large language models
ChatGPT’s initial release was its version 3.5, and since then, it has taken multiple leaps in quality. The current version, GPT-4o (or GPT-4omni), is a 2024 upgrade on the efficiency of the 2023 GPT-4 model, which itself was a considerable upgrade to the 3.5 model from 2022. GPT-4o’s capabilities extend beyond its predecessors, including the ability to read images, browse the web, and retrieve data up to December 2023, whereas its predecessors were limited to data from 2022 and earlier.GPT-4o is available in both mobile and browser-based versions, with the former being a lighter program with slightly reduced capabilities. The browser version allows users to fully ChatGPT’s strengths. It is also capable of many visual and voice tasks at near human response rate in conversation.
Tough competition has arrived
Google’s Gemini is likely ChatGPT’s fiercest competitor, with the tech leveraging its vast experience in AI and data. Much like GPT-4o, Gemini is already an early-stage multimodal generative AI, with both demonstrating the capacity to process multiple types of data. In terms of capability and reliability, Claude-2, developed by Anthropic, is similar to ChatGPT in terms of reliability and capability. However, Gemini's advantage stems from its Google origin, which has the financial resources to sustain development, while Anthropic is more constrained by its startup nature.ChatGPT likely to remain strong
The AI revolution has been booming with investment, but a slowdown is on the horizon as venture capitalists have begun prioritizing proven leaders over diversification. Many AI startups are already facing the challenge of requiring billions of dollars to run their AI programs while bringing in only millions in revenue. ChatGPT is affected by this financial constraint due to its backing by Microsoft. With timely developments and clear advancements in capability, the AI program will likely remain a leader in the field in the coming years.
