The love-hate relationship between OpenAI and Microsoft may be heading toward a permanent dissolution, according to a new report by the Wall Street Journal. That raises questions about the future of Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot, in Windows 11 and Bing, which is currently powered by OpenAI’s generative AI technology.
The tech giants have maintained a relationship for six years, but amid negotiations to separate the partners-turned-competitors, OpenAI execs have begun discussing whether to go “nuclear” and accuse Microsoft of anticompetitive behavior during their partnership, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. (Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in April filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)
A sudden breakup could make teasing out their integration a bit messy. Microsoft announced in May that its AI assistant, Copilot, would begin using GPT-4o, OpenAI technology that also powers the paid version of ChatGPT. Copilot was launched in 2023 to add AI across Microsoft’s platforms.
Microsoft and OpenAI sent a joint statement in response to questions from CNET about the potential breakup: “We have a long-term, productive partnership that has delivered amazing AI tools for everyone. Talks are ongoing and we are optimistic we will continue to build together for years to come.”
What does it mean to me if OpenAI and Microsoft break up?
Although much of the details about the ongoing negotiations matter more to the companies and their investors, if the companies do end their relationship suddenly, it could potentially impact Microsoft’s Copilot. The AI assistant relies on OpenAI for a variety of features, including voice and computer vision and photo editing.
There are plenty of AI chatbot alternative options, including a free version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. However, we recommend trying Claude by Anthropic.
If you want to check out an alternative image generator, we’d recommend Leonardo.Ai for seriously creative work and Canva as a free, beginner-friendly option.
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