In the escalating war over large AI models among tech giants, OpenAI, which currently leads the race, is reportedly considering expanding its advantage further. According to tech media outlet, The Information, the company is contemplating launching a marketplace for AI software, which could function similarly to an app store.
As the two informed sources have told The Information, this marketplace would allow OpenAI's clients to sell their customized AI software to other businesses. Through this marketplace, businesses could obtain a variety of fine-tuned AI software, such as AI that tackles online retail financial fraud or AI equipped with the latest data to answer specific market information.
At present, it is unclear whether OpenAI would charge commissions for these transactions or obtain revenue from the marketplace in other ways.
Several other companies have already set up their marketplaces for large models, including Salesforce and OpenAI's partner, Microsoft. Tencent also released a "ready-to-use" industry-wide model yesterday.
However, OpenAI has denied these reports, stating that it isn't developing a marketplace for large models. Despite this, The Information also noted that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman had revealed potential plans to some developers at a meeting in London last month.
Indeed, many companies are hoping that OpenAI would launch a similar service. Software manufacturer Aquant has purchased a license from OpenAI and used its proprietary data to fine-tune GPT models to answer questions about hardware repair.
Aquant has approximately 100 clients, including HP, Canon, and Johnson & Johnson, among others. These clients pay between thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month to use Aquant's chatbots, customized based on OpenAI technology. The service is already listed on marketplaces such as Salesforce's AppExchange and ServiceNow's Store.
Additionally, educational institutions like Khan Academy have developed AI tutor Khanmigo based on proprietary data, and the company CEO is looking for channels to sell the Khanmigo service.
Before the rumored consideration of launching a marketplace for large models, OpenAI has also explored other similar profit channels. Earlier this year, OpenAI launched GPT plugins, enabling users to query OpenTable, Shopify, or Expedia websites via AI, thus allowing them to make quick reservations or purchases without needing to visit these websites.
However, these plugins did not explode in popularity as ChatGPT did. According to The Information, at a meeting with developers last month, Sam Altman directly stated that GPT plugins had not found their market.
