Microsoft has made substantial investments in OpenAI, amounting to billions of dollars. However, despite this financial backing, employees within the software giant are prohibited from utilizing OpenAI’s prominent product, ChatGPT, as revealed by CNBC.
An internal update on a Microsoft website cited security and data apprehensions as the primary reasons behind the unavailability of several AI tools for employee usage. Microsoft emphasized exercising caution when engaging with third-party external services like ChatGPT, even though it incorporates protective measures to prevent misuse.
Although Microsoft and OpenAI representatives have not yet addressed inquiries regarding this matter, it is evident that precautions are being taken to safeguard privacy and security concerns related to external AI services, including Midjourney and Replika.
The restriction on access to ChatGPT by numerous major corporations serves the purpose of preventing the inadvertent disclosure of confidential information. ChatGPT, boasting a user base exceeding 100 million, is adept at generating human-like responses based on chat interactions, drawing from a vast repository of internet data.
As of Thursday afternoon, Microsoft has implemented a block on the ChatGPT website across its internal devices. Instead, employees are encouraged to utilize Microsoft’s Bing Chat tool, which leverages OpenAI’s artificial intelligence models, given the close partnership between the two entities. Microsoft has been actively integrating OpenAI services into its Windows operating system and Office applications, all powered by the Azure cloud infrastructure.
Recently, CEO Satya Nadella shared the stage with OpenAI’s Sam Altman at the inaugural developer conference, underscoring the strong collaboration between the companies. In a previous instance, a senior Microsoft engineer mentioned in a forum that employees could interact with ChatGPT, albeit with a cautionary note against sharing confidential information, as reported by Insider.
