New artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E 2 have gone viral as free, online toys that anyone can use to generate text or art. Now Microsoft is making a big bet that they can be something much more: the future of knowledge work.
After years of chasing Google in the AI race, the Redmond, Wash., software giant is hoping to leap ahead with big investments in OpenAI, the San Francisco-based start-up behind those tools. The company that once brought us Clippy, the endearingly unhelpful animated paper clip, is working on AI models that don't just offer to help you format a letter, but can analyze your Excel spreadsheet, create AI art to illustrate your PowerPoint presentation, or even draft a whole email for you in Outlook. And that's just for starters.
