OpenAI’s global commitment to AI adoption
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 21 – OpenAI is expanding its efforts to persuade governments around the world to build more data centers and promote greater use of artificial intelligence in areas such as education, health care and disaster preparedness.
Countries participating in this initiative
The company said the initiative, called OpenAI for Countries, will help expand the reach of its products and bridge the gap between countries with broad access to AI technology and those that don’t yet have the capability.
Application of AI in various fields
OpenAI also added that AI systems can perform more complex tasks than many realize, and that it hopes to encourage deeper use of its tools.
Implications for education and disaster planning
“Most countries are still far from reaching the levels that today’s AI systems can achieve,” the company said in a report shared with Reuters.
OpenAI began its international efforts last year, and in December appointed former British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to oversee the project. Osborne and Chris Lehane, OpenAI’s chief international affairs officer, are pitching the project to government officials in Davos this week.
This effort is part of a broader strategy to cement ChatGPT creator OpenAI as a pioneer of the modern AI boom. The company was recently valued at $500 billion and is considering an initial public offering that could reach $1 trillion.
Eleven countries have registered with OpenAI for Countries. The structure of each deal is different.
For example, Estonia has introduced ChatGPT Edu, an OpenAI educational tool, to secondary schools across the country. In Norway and the United Arab Emirates, OpenAI collaborated with other companies to build data centers and became its first customers.
OpenAI executives said Wednesday they hope to work with governments in other areas, such as disaster planning. In South Korea, OpenAI is seeking an agreement with government water authorities to build a real-time water disaster warning and protection system for climate-induced water challenges.
OpenAI said in a report that typical “power users,” or those in the 95th percentile, reach OpenAI’s advanced inference capabilities seven times more often than typical users. There are also large disparities within countries.
For example, in Singapore, where there is widespread access to AI tools, more than three times as many messages about coding are sent than average, the report said.
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman in San Francisco; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
