OpenAI’s impressive technology stack has spawned a wave of new startups building on its models and products.
This is a hot topic on TechCrunch+, with columnists spending a lot of time discussing how startups are leveraging OpenAI. The following subscriber-only articles should serve as a foundation for founders building AI startups on or off the OpenAI platform.
As Haje Jan Kamps writes, despite OpenAI’s attractive packaging, nothing can replace a sustainable company with a reliable, independent product. Dima Kovaalenko further explained that startups must add artificial intelligence value beyond ChatGPT integration. As he writes, venture capital firms have been overwhelmed by the influx of “ChatGPT for X” startups, labeling them solutions unlikely to survive.
So what is a founder to do? TechCrunch’s Tim De Chant and Ron Miller see the OpenAI management crisis as an opportunity for challengers to emerge and for startups to avoid the dangers of vendor lock-in.
Chris Ackerson, a former member of the IBM Watson team and now vice president of products for AlphaSense, explains the best ways for startups to develop generative AI co-pilots. first step? Committed to building the best collection of data in the world for the task at hand. All this and more is below, happy reading!
Please note: these articles are only available to TechCrunch+ subscribers. Join or log in here.
Startups learned the hard way that relying on OpenAI’s technology could burn them
A recent update to OpenAI’s ChatGPT that allows users to upload PDFs and ask questions has sent ripple effects across the startup ecosystem. This development poses a significant threat to many companies, especially “packaging startups” that have built their businesses around ChatGPT’s feature gaps, although it was foreseeable.
This change is an important reminder for founders and investors: There is no substitute for a sustainable company with a reliable, independent product.
Read more here…
Startups must add AI value beyond ChatGPT integration
The artificial intelligence hype train is in full swing. Currently, it is difficult to name an industry that is not affected by this disruptive technology. As inventor demand increases and competition intensifies, startups feel these waves of hype more than others.
It’s increasingly difficult for startups to raise investment without an element of artificial intelligence in their products. So far, ChatGPT integration has been relatively simple, affordable, and fast enough to keep up with the competition and capture market share. But now it appears that will no longer be the case.
Read more here…
Best practices for developing commercial generative AI co-pilots
Since the launch of ChatGPT, I can’t recall a meeting with a potential client or client where they didn’t ask me how they could leverage generative AI for their business. From internal efficiency and productivity to external products and services, companies are racing to implement generative AI technologies in every sector of the economy.
While GenAI is still in its early stages, its capabilities are rapidly expanding—from vertical search to photo editing to writing assistants—with a common thread that leverages conversational interfaces to make the software easier to use and more powerful. Chatbots, now rebranded as “co-pilots” and “assistants,” are making waves again, and while a series of best practices are starting to emerge, the first step in developing a chatbot is to narrow down the problem and start small.
Read more here…
OpenAI’s crisis will sow the seeds for the next generation of artificial intelligence startups
The “Eight Traitors”, the PayPal Mafia and… . Foreigners at OpenAI?
OpenAI’s collapse is likely to be the latest example in a Silicon Valley tradition: Turmoil at a leading company triggers a round of employee departures that ultimately spawns a new crop of startups.
This week’s drama-filled weekend saw co-founder Sam Altman fired as CEO; co-founder, president and chairman of the board Greg Brockman demoted and departures; and a near-companywide rebellion against the board of directors of OpenAI’s nonprofit parent company. More than three-quarters of the company’s employees have signed a letter of no confidence in the board, including Chief Technology Officer Mira Murati, Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap, Chief Strategy Officer Jason Kwon, and even OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, who helped oust Altman. Now He said he regretted doing so.
Read more here…
OpenAI chaos exposes startups’ dangers of vendor lock-in
If you looked at OpenAI before Friday afternoon, you’d see that it had everything an enterprise buyer (and, for that matter, an investor) could want in a startup: an absolute killer product in ChatGPT, a rockstar CEO, and a huge future potential income.
It looked as stable as any new startup—until it wasn’t. While the situation remains fluid, CEO Sam Altman appears ready to drive his tour bus to Microsoft, taking co-founder Greg Brockman and much of his staff with him.
Read more here…