Microsoft Invests $1 Billion in Elon Musk-Founded OpenAI

OpenAI started as a non-profit. Now it's raking in serious dough.

Big Payout

OpenAI, the artificial intelligence firm originally founded by Elon Musk and Y Combinator's Sam Altman, just landed a $1 billion investment from Microsoft.

Though originally founded to be a non-profit, ethical alternative to the massive companies developing AI tech, OpenAI became a sort of hybrid non-profit and for-profit back in March. The two companies have been collaborating on projects for years, but now with this new investment, Business Insider reports that OpenAI will be developing AI tech specifically for Microsoft's cloud services.

Partnering Up

The ultimate goal of the partnership is to work toward Artificial General Intelligence, according to BI. That's the catch-all term for AI that can think, emote, and reason at a human-or-above level.

"OpenAI and Microsoft's vision is for Artificial General Intelligence to work with people to help solve currently intractable multi-disciplinary problems," reads a press release reviewed by BI, "including global challenges such as climate change, more personalized healthcare and education."

READ MORE: Microsoft is investing $1 billion in OpenAI, the Elon Musk-founded company that's trying to build human-like artificial intelligence [Business Insider]

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