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OpenAI is reportedly close to releasing a new artificial intelligence model that can “think,” as it seeks billions in funding.
The AI startup is preparing to release Strawberry, its reasoning-focused AI model, as part of ChatGPT, The Information reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. While people told The Information the release could be in the next two weeks, Bloomberg reported that the timing is unclear; the latter outlet cited unnamed sources who said a limited number of users could get access as soon as this week.
Despite being part of ChatGPT, Strawberry would be a standalone product, The Information reported, adding that details on how it will be made available to customers aren’t clear, but one possibility is for the model to be part of the dropdown menu on ChatGPT that allows customers to pick the model they want to use.
Unlike other conversational AI models that immediately respond, Strawberry “reasons” before it responds to a query, which usually takes 10 to 20 seconds, people told The Information. The longer “reasoning” stage reportedly helps the model avoid errors and “know” when it should ask follow-up questions.
Strawberry’s initial version will reportedly not be multimodal, meaning it will only take in and generate text. The model could be priced differently from ChatGPT, which has a free version and different subscription tiers, The Information reported, adding that it could also have limits on speed and how many queries users can make per hour.
In July, OpenAI shared a five-level rating system it developed to track its artificial general intelligence progress with employees. The levels go from the currently available conversational AI (i.e. chatbots), to AI that might someday perform the same amount of work as an organization. While OpenAI executives believe the startup’s tech is on this self-defined first level, a spokesperson told Bloomberg the company is close to level two; OpenAI described level two as “Reasoners,” or AI that can perform basic problem-solving, and is supposedly on the level of a human with a doctorate degree but no access to tools.
OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, the AI startup is talking with investors about raising $6.5 billion at a valuation of $150 billion, Bloomberg reported. It’s also reportedly discussing raising $5 billion in debt from banks. Venture capital firm Thrive Capital is leading the round with an investment around $1 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported, while chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA+3.10%), Apple (AAPL+0.75%), and Microsoft (MSFT+1.05%) are reportedly discussing backing the company.