Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks at the company’s Ignite Spotlight event in Seoul on Nov. 15, 2022. Nadella gave a keynote speech at an event hosted by the company’s Korean unit.
SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Microsoft on Monday confirmed plans to host a news event Tuesday that could be related to the AI chatbot ChatGPT, just minutes after Google unveiled its competing AI software called Bard.
Microsoft’s head of public relations confirmed the existence of the event in a tweet Monday, but did not confirm what it’s about. However, shortly after the news broke, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman tweeted that he was in Redmond, Washington — home to Microsoft headquarters — and “excited” for the event tomorrow.
Microsoft’s event follows the company’s January announcement regarding its new multiyear, multibillion-dollar investment with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI. The deal marks the third phase of the partnership between the two companies, following Microsoft’s previous investments in 2019 and 2021.
ChatGPT automatically generates text based on written prompts in a fashion that’s much more advanced and creative than the chatbots of Silicon Valley’s past. The software debuted in late November and quickly turned into a viral sensation as tech executives and venture capitalists gushed about it on Twitter, even comparing it to Apple’s debut of the iPhone in 2007.
Microsoft said the renewed partnership with OpenAI will accelerate breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and help both companies commercialize advanced technologies in the future.
OpenAI is ranked by AI researchers as one of the top three AI labs worldwide, and the company has developed game-playing AI software that can beat humans at video games such as Dota 2. However, it’s arguably received more attention for ChatGPT and its quirky AI image generator Dall-E.
