Well, it’s been quite an eventful week for OpenAI.
The leading generative AI company introduced several new features at its first developer conference, DevDay, held at its headquarters in San Francisco on Monday. However, a new service that allowed users to build custom GPTs using ChatGPT was delayed due to heavier-than-expected usage. This delay turned out to be the result of a DDoS attack. Despite this setback, OpenAI soon managed to launch the GPTs for all ChatGPT Plus subscribers.
Sam Altman, CEO and co-founder of OpenAI, took this opportunity to poke fun at Elon Musk, his former business partner and now AI rival. Using Musk’s own social network, Altman tweeted, “GPTs can save a lot of effort,” along with screenshots showing him creating a new GPT using OpenAI’s GPT Builder tool. This move seemed aimed at Musk, highlighting the tension between them. The two had co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but reportedly had a falling out when Musk wanted to take control of the company, leading to his departure.
Altman asked GPT Builder to create a chatbot that uses “cringey boomer humor,” reflecting a generational dig at Musk. Although Musk, at 52, is more accurately classified as a Gen-X, the term “boomer” has become a catch-all insult for someone considered out-of-touch.
The chatbot was named “Grok,” intentionally referencing Musk’s recently launched large language model by his company xAI. Interestingly, Musk’s Grok has been criticized for overly praising Musk, with some users calling it “pathetic” and “narcissistic.”
On the other hand, OpenAI is not just engaging in personal feuds but is also advancing consumer-focused generative AI. They’ve started providing various custom GPTs, with both official and third-party versions already available.
Despite the underlying personal rivalry, OpenAI remains a key player in generative AI, setting the pace for others, including Musk’s xAI, to follow.