ChatGPT’s launch is a lesson for everyone
You’re probably wondering how anyone could possibly have something new to say about ChatGPT. Well, we do.
The Set Up
ChatGPT, an AI chatbot from OpenAI, launched in November 2022. By the end of December, discussion about the chatbot was everywhere. There was one big problem though. Users kept running into messages like this one:
Our team was one of those users. On our marketing call a few weeks ago, we wanted to see for ourselves if ChatGPT lived up to the hype. After getting this capacity message, we jumped online to see if other users were experiencing the same issue. They were. We found tweet after tweet sharing ways the AI explained the status– like a pirate, in the form of a sonnet, a guided meditation, a screenplay, a radio ad. These posts revealed that this issue has come up repeatedly since the chatbot’s launch and subsequent skyrocket to virality.
So, what does a cloud computing firm have to say about this situation? ChatGPT’s capacity problems are a reminder that no company can predict application system demands 100% of the time (even if they are valued at $30 billion). Now, there are a lot of factors at play here. OpenAI provides software that requires incredibly high capacity and computing power. Even with their high market valuation, each conversation that ChatGPT runs with a user costs a few cents of computing power. ChatGPT launched as a free service, and within weeks millions of people became regular users.
Every company must answer one big question for success: how can we repeatedly do as good of a job as possible at delivering on our promises to our customers? A start-up like OpenAI must also consider how to deliver on promises to investors. Powering the chatbot with the cloud was a clear answer. Each conversation with ChatGPT is no simple task. They require significant capacity and computing power, scalability, data storage, and processing. But the cloud alone isn’t a guarantee to fulfilling your promises and an organization’s budget will always determine what is possible.
The Lesson
OpenAI is a high-profile example of a challenge that companies of all sizes are grappling with every day. Advances in cloud computing and the widespread digital transformation that has marked the last three years have pushed the standard for all companies to deliver on their promises and do it quickly. Whether you’re a mid-sized SaaS company or a Fortune 1000 enterprise, customers, employees, and partners have new standards for agility. How you meet them is up to you. Market-leading organizations are making sure that budget, resources, and current expertise are the only constraints preventing them from meeting these raised standards, and they aren’t dropping down anytime soon.
As if we needed another wake-up call about the changing dynamics of doing business today, let ChatGPT be an example of the need to adapt. Operating in today’s world requires a strategy that meets your customers right where they need you, every time. The right cloud strategy can get you there, and the right partner can put you on the path to outpacing your competitors too.