ChatGPT Is Hungry For the Cloud
Bloomberg Businessweek US|January 30, 2023
The computing power needed for modern AI is shaping its technical development and business model
Dina Bass
ChatGPT Is Hungry For the Cloud

To a user firing up OpenAI's chatbot hoping to generate automated haiku about the American Revolution or recipes for Spam casserole, the product's basic interface and instantaneous answers can seem simple, even magical.

On the other side of those queries, though, an immense amount of work is going on. OpenAI's ChatGPT chatbot requires far more computing power to answer a question than Google takes to respond to a web search. The startup's current offering is good enough to inspire speculation about a world in which it and programs like it take over some disruptive proportion of the work that only humans can do today. But even if that's where the economy is headed, getting there is beyond the average startup's capacity.

Generative artificial intelligence products have many hurdles to overcome before fulfilling the wildest hopes and fears that they've inspired sinc OpenAI introduced ChatGPT in November. The service has suffered the kind of outages that come with running any suddenly popular website. It also has the potential to give incorrect information and can't answer many questions about recent events.

OpenAI and its competitors will likely be grappling with these issues for years.

But the challenge of computing power in particular is likely to shape the development of the field. Startups such as OpenAI may start charging for services that are now free as they mature. Some companies could look for ways to make more targeted products with computing needs that aren't as intensive. And the cost of computing is already influencing which entities will have influence over the AI products that seem set to shape the internet's future.

This story is from the January 30, 2023 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the January 30, 2023 edition of Bloomberg Businessweek US.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEK USView All
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 mins  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023