OpenAI plans to release a new AI model, currently codenamed Orion, for ChatGPT’s second anniversary. At the first stage, OpenAI partners will have access to Orion, which will allow them to develop their own products and functions based on it. Unlike previous AI models GPT-4o and o1, the new product will not be immediately integrated into ChatGPT for a wider audience.
Image source: Mohamed_hassan / Pixabay
Engineers at Microsoft, OpenAI’s main partner, are already preparing to deploy Orion on the Azure cloud platform, and its launch could take place as early as November. Inside AI, this model is considered a continuation of GPT-4, but it is not yet clear whether it will be officially called GPT-5. The question of the name of the new product remains open, and the timing of its release may change. OpenAI and Microsoft have so far refrained from commenting.
One OpenAI executive said Orion could be up to 100 times more powerful than GPT-4, highlighting the project’s ambitions. Orion is being developed as a standalone AI and stands apart from the thinking large language model (LLM) o1, released in September. OpenAI’s goal is to eventually combine all of its LLMs to create a more powerful AI model that will move the company closer to creating Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
Image source: Sam Altman/X
According to sources, the company used synthetic data generated by o1 to train Orion, and its training ended back in September. At the same time, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted a cryptic message on social media X that he was “looking forward to the imminent rise of the winter constellations” of Orion, visible from November to February, likely hinting at a December launch. This is confirmed by ChatGPT o1-preview itself, which, when asked what Altman’s post is hiding, answers, albeit with elements of hallucination, that he hints at the word Orion.
Image source: Tom Warren/The Verge
The launch of the new LLM comes amid major personnel changes at OpenAI, which recently raised a record $6.6 billion and became a for-profit entity. CTO Mira Murati, Chief Scientist Bob McGrew and President of Research Barret Zoph recently announced their departures.