This Week in AI: Image Gen Hits New Heights with OpenAI
ChatGPT maker OpenAI says more than 700 million images have been created by more than 130 million users over the last week using its new generator, making it one of the company's most popular product launches ever.
And there's good reason. Shortly after its release, people flooded social media with all manner of images, including pictures created in the style of top Japanese animator Studio Ghibli. Axios reported how the tool could supercharge scamming with shockingly realistic receipts, corporate employment agreements and professional looking ads.
Despite those concerns, OpenAI has been pushing ahead with its launch.
"We want everyone to use it!" OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted on X, shortly after the release.
The new tool, which was built using OpenAI's upgraded artificial intelligence model, was released to the public on March 25, after OpenAI also announced $40 billion in funding, bringing it to a $300 billion valuation. OpenAI also said it now counts 500 million weekly active users and 700 million monthly active users.
OpenAI's latest launch underscores how popular AI tools are becoming, and also how easy they are to use. AI image generation technology in particular has become widely used on the Internet in part because of its ability to recreate life-like pictures, and professional-looking similarities of popular painting and photography techniques.
Though these images are fast becoming a normal part of internet life, their popularity and ease of use have spurred debates about the value of content, what constitutes copyright violation, and the very nature of art, music and writing itself.
OpenAI itself is no stranger to criticism. The New York Times has accused the AI leader of using it products to train its technology. They're not alone, of course. Photography sites, artists and even music recording groups have accused AI companies of ripping off their products.
Despite the debate, AI image, generators, music, papers, and even video game design technologies are fast becoming a regular part of people's daily lives.
Apple to use AI for health coaching
While the tech industry debates how well Apple has integrated AI tools into its products over the past couple years, the company appears to be still searching for ways to stand out. The latest idea is an AI health coach, which Bloomberg's Mark Gurman wrote is being planned for Apple's next Health App update.
"The idea is this: The Health app will continue to collect data from your devices (whether that’s the iPhone, Apple Watch, earbuds or third-party products), and then the AI coach will use that information to offer tailor-made recommendations about ways to improve health," Gurman wrote. He added that food tracking will be a major part of the app, which may be attached to a service Apple would call "Health Plus."
Copilot gets new skills
On the day of Microsoft's 50th birthday celebration, the company's Copilot AI is adding some new abilities. Mustafa Suleyman, Executive Vice President and CEO of Microsoft AI, says, "With your permission, Copilot will now remember what you talk about, so it learns your likes and dislikes and details about your life."
Also new is a feature called "Actions," which Microsoft says will be able to interact with websites on your behalf, much like OpenAI's Operator, but without the $200/month subscription needed for ChatGPT Pro.
Saved by the bell, and ChatGPT
One of the smartest marketing tools tech companies have discovered is to make their products cheap or free for students, effectively getting a next generation of the world's workers hooked on your app or service, Adobe style.
Now, ChatGPT is following that lead, making its $20 per month ChatGPT Plus subscription available to all college students in the US and Canada until the end of May. That announcement came just after Anthropic announced its Claude for Education, which offers full-campus access, academic partnerships, and new tools to "help students develop critical thinking skills."
Read more: AI Tools and Tips
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- What is Meta AI? A Capable Chatbot That’s 100% Free
- How to Get Started with Copilot for Microsoft 365
- Getting started with LM Studio: A Beginner's Guide
- Meet Claude, the Best AI You've Never Heard of
Ian Sherr is a widely published journalist who's covered nearly every major tech company from Apple to Netflix, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and more for CBS News, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, and CNET. Aside from writing, he tinkers with tech at home, is a longtime fencer -- the kind with swords -- and began woodworking during the pandemic.
