OpenAI’s Next AI Model ‘Orion’ Set for December Release

OpenAI is set to launch its next advanced AI model, codenamed Orion, by December, according to The Verge, citing sources.

The publication reports that the neural network will not be immediately available through ChatGPT. Initially, it will be provided to companies closely collaborating with the startup, allowing them to develop their own products and features based on Orion.

Microsoft developers are expected to gain access to it as early as November. However, journalists noted that the current plan could change or be delayed.

In September, OpenAI introduced a new large language model, o1, trained using reinforcement learning to perform complex reasoning. Previously, it was codenamed Strawberry. Before that, the project was called Q* and was considered a breakthrough for creating artificial general intelligence (AGI), which “could threaten humanity.”

In the same month, it was revealed that the company was working on two other AI models — Orion and GPT Next. The former is positioned as a flagship neural network and could potentially replace GPT-4 in language understanding and generation with additional multimodal capabilities. GPT Next is reportedly 100 times more advanced than previous models.

OpenAI Disbands Safety Team

On October 23, OpenAI’s safety expert Miles Brundage announced his departure from the AI startup. He held a leadership position in the AGI Readiness department, which advised the company on its ability to handle increasingly powerful artificial intelligence and the world’s readiness to manage this technology.

Brundage reported that OpenAI will disband his department, with former employees transitioning to other teams.

AGI is a theoretical paradigm in which an AI model can perform any task at a human level if given the same resources.

Before the creation of AGI Readiness, the main department overseeing artificial general intelligence was the Superalignment group, led by the firm’s co-founders Ilya Sutskever and Jan Leike. It was disbanded in May.

In October, OpenAI raised $6.6 billion, valuing the company at $157 billion.