OpenAI Explores Launching an AI Model Marketplace: Report
OpenAI is considering launching a new marketplace, according to a report from The Information.
This marketplace, similar to an app store, would allow customers to sell their own custom AI models to other businesses, as per two people with knowledge of discussions at the company, as reported by The Information.
An OpenAI marketplace would potentially offer businesses access to the company’s large language models for a variety of use cases in finance, retail, and more, the sources said. The Information reports that it is not yet known if OpenAI would charge commissions on sales or generate revenue from the marketplace in other ways.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman divulged the possibility of a marketplace during a London meeting with developers last month according to an attendee of the meeting.
Sam Altman testifies before Congress in May 2023. The OpenAI CEO reportedly discussed the possibility of a marketplace in a London meeting last month.
An OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement that the company is not involved in “active efforts” to develop a marketplace. The spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment on Altman’s discussion, The Information said.
OpenAI is currently valued at $27 billion and boasts large investments from companies like Microsoft, Khosla Ventures, and Infosys. An OpenAI marketplace would compete with app stores from its customers and technology partners like Salesforce and Microsoft, two stores where access is sold to chatbots created with OpenAI. The Information posits that the store could also give OpenAI an edge over competitors like Anthropic and Cohere by reaching a broader audience.
The Information’s report states that a company eager to participate in this as-yet theoretical marketplace is Aquant, a developer of software for device manufacturers. The company launched its own chatbot application, called Service Copilot, last month via a modified version of ChatGPT trained with proprietary data including support tickets and employee feedback rating the helpfulness of ChatGPT. Aquant currently offers the model on marketplaces including Salesforce AppExchange and the ServiceNow Store.
