At the KDDI SUMMIT 2024 in Japan, OpenAI Japan CEO Tadao Nagasaki hinted at the company’s next-generation AI model, named “GPT Next.”
Nagasaki said that GPT Next would be a quantum leap for AI, stating it “will evolve nearly 100 times more than its predecessors, judging by past performance.”
A striking claim, but it’s nearly impossible to tell what exactly Nagasaki is quantifying or his reference point.
His presentation slide may simply demonstrate that future models will utilize 100 times more processing power than previous generations.
In other words, it might be more illustrative of ‘the possibilities’ rather than literal to show ‘what’s coming next.’
Nagasaki’s presentation slide. Source: IT Media.
Nagasaki went on to stress AI’s exponential growth, saying, “Unlike traditional software, AI technology grows exponentially. Therefore, we want to support the creation of a world where AI is integrated as soon as possible.”
He further hinted that a key feature of GPT Next will be its multimodal skills, which will enable it to process text, images, and potentially video.
This aligns with recent rumors surrounding a secretive OpenAI project named “Project Strawberry,” which is said to involve AI models capable of autonomously exploring the internet and conducting ‘deep research.’
Project Strawberry, first leaked in November 2023 under the codename Q*, has been the subject of intense speculation.
While Nagasaki didn’t directly address Project Strawberry, industry insiders speculate that GPT Next may integrate some of its technologies.
Recent reports suggest OpenAI is developing two versions of Strawberry: a smaller one for integration into chatbots, and a larger version for generating high-quality synthetic training data.
Nagasaki also shared impressive growth figures for ChatGPT, reporting over 200 million active users as of August 2024. The enterprise version, named ChatGPT Enterprise, has seen rapid adoption among the world’s biggest businesses, including Apple, Coca-Cola, and Moderna.
While this new information from Japan will likely be used to whip up excitement about OpenAI’s next model, and suggest it being 100 times more powerful than GPT -4, it’s very tough to know with any certainty.
We might not need to wait long to find out.
