San Francisco, CA — OpenAI has made a groundbreaking move by launching its Enterprise ChatGPT, a specialized version of its conversational AI model. This strategic launch not only positions OpenAI as a formidable competitor against open-source AI communities like Databricks and Hugging Face but also sets the stage for a potential rivalry with its own investor, Microsoft (MS).
On August 28th, OpenAI announced the release of ChatGPT Enterprise via its official blog, just nine months after the debut of the original ChatGPT model. Brad Lightcap, COO of OpenAI, revealed that the development process took nearly a year and involved collaborations with over 20 global enterprises, including PwC, Estée Lauder, Block, and Canva.
A Shift from Azure Dependency
Previously, OpenAI’s models were accessible to businesses exclusively through Microsoft’s Azure platform. However, the new Enterprise ChatGPT allows companies to bypass Azure, offering a more flexible and independent service model.
Enhanced Features and Security
Enterprise ChatGPT addresses previous security vulnerabilities and boasts improved analysis and response times. Built on OpenAI’s latest large language model, GPT-4, the enterprise version is up to twice as fast as its consumer counterpart. It also provides ‘unlimited high-speed’ access and supports an extended input context window of up to 32,000 tokens.
To alleviate corporate concerns about data security, OpenAI has committed to not using client data for model training or service improvements.
Administrative Control and Collaboration
The service comes equipped with an administrative console, enabling in-house management of user roles, domain verification, and usage statistics. Additionally, it allows for internal sharing of ChatGPT conversations among team members.
Advanced Data Analytics
OpenAI also introduced an ‘Advanced Data Analytics’ feature, granting unlimited access to data extraction and analysis capabilities, including chart generation from uploaded files.
Pricing and Future Plans
While OpenAI has not disclosed the pricing structure, it confirmed that costs would vary based on the scale and needs of the enterprise.
The Competitive Landscape
This launch comes on the heels of Microsoft’s own enterprise chatbot, Bing Chat Enterprise, which also focuses on text summarization and secure data handling. Hugging Face has been a player in this space since last year, offering its ‘Enterprise Hub’ platform to over 1,000 corporate clients, including Microsoft and Intel.
Brad Lightcap emphasized that Enterprise ChatGPT is not necessarily a direct competitor to Microsoft’s offerings. “Companies can integrate ChatGPT Enterprise with other solutions, including those from Microsoft,” he stated.
OpenAI also hinted at the future release of ‘ChatGPT Business,’ aimed at smaller teams within enterprises, although no specific launch date has been announced.
With the introduction of Enterprise ChatGPT, OpenAI has undoubtedly intensified the competition in the B2B AI market, making it a space to watch closely in the coming months.
