Microsoft is expanding access to its cloud-based AI offering, making Azure OpenAI Service generally available and preparing to add ChatGPT. The move builds on the company’s partnership with OpenAI and gives more businesses a route to use several AI models through Azure.
Azure opens to more businesses
Until now, only select partners could use Azure OpenAI Service. Microsoft says broader availability means more businesses can apply to access its AI models. The company describes large language models as a platform for innovation and for applying AI to difficult problems.
The service includes GPT 3.5, Codex and DALL-E 2. Codex is the code completion model that powers Github’s Copilot, while DALL-E 2 generates images. Microsoft says access to ChatGPT within Azure’s AI infrastructure will follow soon.
That timing matters for organizations weighing how to bring conversational AI into their products or internal work. The announcement establishes that Azure access is planned, though it does not give a specific launch date or describe the precise terms for using ChatGPT.
Enterprise controls are part of the offer
Microsoft introduced Azure OpenAI Services in November 2021. Since then, select enterprises have had access to a customizable version of GPT-3. Organizations can fine-tune that model for different purposes, such as producing language suited to a video game or a business application.
Microsoft says Azure adds capabilities for security, reliability, compliance and privacy compared with the OpenAI API, alongside other features for enterprise needs. Those considerations can influence whether a company adopts AI for customer-facing tools, internal processes or both.
Microsoft acquired exclusive rights to GPT-3 in September 2020. The newly announced general availability broadens the group of businesses that can apply for access to models through Azure, while the company points to additional AI developments in 2023 and beyond.
Companies are testing practical uses
Microsoft says organizations across industries and of different sizes already use Azure OpenAI Service for applications and internal processes. Their examples show how language models can support tasks such as drafting, summarizing and translating information.
Startup Moveworks uses GPT-3 to draft material for its internal customer knowledge base. The company says this saves time for IT and HR teams and improves employee self-service. Its CTO, Vaibhav Nivargi, also pointed to potential improvements in enterprise search, analytics and data visualization.
Al Jazeera Digital uses the service for summary generation, translation, topic discovery and tagging. KPMG uses it to help make clients’ fiscal ESG initiatives publicly available more efficiently. These examples describe specific uses, rather than a single template that every business must follow.
Azure fits into a wider AI push
The cloud service is one part of Microsoft’s broader work with OpenAI models. Microsoft uses OpenAI Codex for Github Copilot, an automatic code completion tool, and DALL-E 2 is integrated into Bing Image Creator Tools and Office.
The article also reports that Microsoft plans to integrate OpenAI models into Office and Bing Search. It says Microsoft invested $1 billion in OpenAI in 2019 and was reportedly considering another $10 billion investment for a 49% stake. These reports underscore how closely the companies’ plans are linked, while the Azure announcement itself focuses on broader access to AI services.
For businesses, the near-term development is a wider opportunity to apply for Azure OpenAI Service and an expected path to ChatGPT in Azure. The available examples point to uses in knowledge management, media workflows and ESG communications, with Azure’s stated enterprise capabilities supporting adoption decisions.