Last week The Verge reported rumors that OpenAI would launch Orion, its next Large Language Model (LLM), by December.
According to the rumors, Orion would be up to 100 times more powerful than GPT-4. Over time, OpenAI would combine it with other Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, likely including the o1 reasoning model that OpenAI released in September. Eventually, OpenAI would "create an even more capable model that could eventually be called artificial general intelligence, or AGI."
Alongside anonymous sources, The Verge cited a September X post reporting that "Tadao Nagasaki of OpenAI Japan unveiled plans for ‘GPT Next,’ promising an Orders of Magnitude (OOMs) leap." According to the post, the new AI model "aims for 100x more computational volume than GPT-4, using similar resources but with improved architecture and efficiency. Trained on a compact Strawberry version, it’s set for release later this year."
Strawberry is a code name for OpenAI's o1 reasoning model.
OpenAI CEO San Altman posted to X to deny the rumors, calling them "fake news out of control."
The editors of The Verge have changed the original story to add that "OpenAI spokesperson Niko Felix told The Verge that the company doesn’t 'have plans to release a model code-named Orion this year' but that 'we do plan to release a lot of other great technology.'"
OpenAI previously told TechCrunch that The Verge’s report wasn’t accurate, but declined to elaborate further. However, TechCrunch notes that OpenAI’s statement leaves substantial wiggle room and conclude that "At this point, it’s anyone’s guess."
The march of OpenAI
This is a developing story that AI researchers and enthusiasts will want to follow closely. Felix confirmed that OpenAI plans to release "great technology" soon.
OpenAI has been in the top technology and business news in the last few years. It has launched what is arguably the most impactful technology trend of this decade, and its valuation has skyrocketed as a result.
It seems plausible that OpenAI could continue to generate game-changers in the fast-developing world of AI research and applications.