Big Tech feeds the public’s appetite for generative AI

The Future. Although every major tech company has invested in AI for years, their hunger for a piece of the generative AI pie has magnified since the overnight success of ChatGPT. As Big Tech overhauls its product plans to capitalize on the machine of the moment, they might be getting ahead of themselves, as it’s still unclear how generative AI will impact our lives over the long run… or if it’ll just turn out to be a fad.

It went from 0 to 100 real quick

ChatGPT has 100 million monthly active users, with about 5 million daily users, reports the NYT. This phenomenon has sent a ripple through the tech industry, which is fast-tracking several generative AI-related projects, according to Axios.

• Microsoft just launched a premium version of Teams that integrated ChatGPT-based tools for summarizing meeting notes, organizing personal tasks, and translating texts. It will also reportedly integrate ChatGPT (and ChatGPT-like AI) with Word, Outlook, and Bing.
• Google released demos of a new generative AI project that can create music from users’ text prompts last month.
• Meta will allegedly employ AI to generate and populate its virtual worlds once the company solidifies its users’ interest in the metaverse.
• Amazon hasn’t jumped on the generative AI bandwagon yet. But software developers at the company reportedly used ChatGPT as a coding aid, which prompted lawyers to crack down on employees over fears that Amazon secrets could leak through the AI, per Insider.
• Apple is notoriously secretive, so if it has a generative AI product in the works, the company likely won’t announce it until it’s ready to launch.

Is it here for a good time or a long time?

There’s no doubt that the applications of generative AI are cutting-edge and vast. But will people lose their appetite once a new brand of tech emerges? Or will they indulge in generative AI for years to come?

Either way, Big Tech will cash in.