Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, which offers enterprise generative AI tools, has now become generally available for customers who meet Microsoft’s standards. Previously, the service was part of an invite-only program but has now expanded to include OpenAI’s large language model GPT-3.5, the text-to-image tool DALL-E 2, the computer programming assistant Codex, and the popular chatbot interface ChatGPT.
The initial aim of the Azure OpenAI Service was to provide businesses with the ability to develop applications without coding, write reports, and create marketing content. However, it has since evolved to encompass chat and visual capabilities offered by OpenAI’s models. To gain access to these tools, interested users must explain how they intend to utilize the AI tools and adhere to Microsoft’s ethical guidelines.
The decision to widen the availability of the Azure OpenAI Service coincides with Microsoft’s plans to integrate ChatGPT and DALL-E into its Office suite, Bing search engine, and other consumer products. Microsoft has been experimenting with the integration of GPT-3 into various projects, such as the low-code Power Apps programming tool and the GitHub Copilot programming assistant.
Eric Boyd, Microsoft AI Platform Corporate Vice President, expressed excitement about the range of use cases that Azure OpenAI Service has enabled for customers. These include generating content to improve product recommendations and summarizing customer service tickets, freeing up employees’ time for more critical tasks.
Although ChatGPT is not yet part of the Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella assured users that it is coming soon in a tweet. OpenAI also confirmed that ChatGPT will be available as an API in the near future. While there is currently no ChatGPT API, some products have integrated ChatGPT by utilizing the GPT-3.5 API, which is the foundational model for ChatGPT but lacks the refinements and fine-tuning employed by OpenAI. Users interested in accessing the ChatGPT API can now sign up for the opportunity to be among the first wave of users.
OpenAI has recently established a similar list for a professional version of ChatGPT as part of its plan to monetize the AI chatbot, which has been costly to run for free.
In conclusion, Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service is now available to a wider customer base, providing access to OpenAI’s powerful generative AI tools. The integration of OpenAI’s models into Microsoft’s products demonstrates the growing importance of AI in everyday applications. The upcoming inclusion of ChatGPT in the Azure OpenAI Service, as well as its availability as an API, will further expand its reach and potential applications.
