Google is continuing its quest to come up with an answer to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, investing in a rival founded by a former OpenAI VP.
Google has reportedly invested $300 million in Anthropic, founded by Dario Amodei. Amodei previously worked at OpenAI, ultimately rising to VP of Research, before leaving to found Anthropic in early 2021.
The injection of cash from Google is part of a partnership that will see Anthropic adopt Google Cloud.
“We’re thrilled to be able to partner with Google Cloud on training and deploying useful AI systems,” said Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. “We’ve been impressed with Google Cloud’s open and flexible infrastructure. We are excited to partner with Google to scale-up our systems in the coming months.”
“AI has evolved from academic research to become one of the biggest drivers of technological change, creating new opportunities for growth and improved services across all industries,” said Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud. “Google Cloud is providing open infrastructure for the next generation of AI startups, and our partnership with Anthropic is a great example of how we’re helping users and businesses tap into the power of reliable and responsible AI.”
As part of the deal, Anthropic will run its Claude AI model on Google Cloud. Claude’s capabilities are believed to be competitive with the much-hyped ChatGPT.
The deal is reminiscent of Microsoft’s multibillion investment in OpenAI, albeit on a smaller scale. Microsoft and Google both see AI as a way to revolutionize search, as well as a plethora of other fields.
With Microsoft already at work to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Bing, it’s not surprising to see Google invest in one of OpenAI’s rivals in an effort to catch up.