OpenAI Reports Surge in ChatGPT Growth with New Features
OpenAI has experienced a significant surge in user growth for ChatGPT, reaching 300 million weekly active users from 200 million in August 2023. Sarah Friar, OpenAI’s Chief Financial Officer, attributed the growth to the launch of advanced reasoning models, such as o1. Friar shared these insights on December 10 during an interview at the Reuters NEXT conference in New York.
Rising Demand for Sora, OpenAI’s Text-to-Video Tool
Friar highlighted strong interest in OpenAI’s latest tool, Sora, which generates videos from text. The tool debuted this week and has seen immense demand. However, account creation for Sora has been temporarily paused. While Friar did not specify when registrations might resume, she stated that OpenAI aims to balance capacity demands with careful user testing.
“We want to listen and learn by offering Sora to a small group of users first,” she explained. The company’s approach with Sora contrasts with the broader and faster rollout of ChatGPT, prioritising user feedback and safety.
Emphasis on Safety and Measured Growth
Friar emphasised OpenAI’s commitment to safety, noting that some products may be rolled out more cautiously. “There are areas where we will move slower to ensure safety remains a priority,” she said.
Friar, who joined OpenAI six months ago as its first CFO, previously held leadership roles at social media platform Nextdoor. Her extensive experience has played a key role in managing OpenAI’s rapid growth and innovation.
About OpenAI
OpenAI is a leading artificial intelligence research organization committed to advancing AI for the benefit of humanity. Established in 2015, OpenAI focuses on developing safe and responsible AI technologies, driving innovation in areas like natural language processing and machine learning. Its groundbreaking contributions include the development of the ChatGPT series and DALL·E, tools that have transformed how humans interact with AI across various industries.
with inputs from Reuters
