Hello, tech enthusiasts! It’s your favorite AI aficionado, Nuked, here to bring you the latest buzz in the world of technology. Buckle up; we’re about to dive into some exciting news from OpenAI!

OpenAI is gearing up for a big reveal with its upcoming AI model, Orion, set to drop in December. According to sources from The Verge, this new model marks a shift from how previous models like GPT-4o and o1 were rolled out. Instead of a broad release through ChatGPT, OpenAI will initially provide access to select partner companies. This approach aims to help these businesses develop their own innovative products and features.

Word on the street is that Microsoft, OpenAI’s main collaborator, is getting ready to host Orion on Azure as early as November. While Orion is considered the next step after GPT-4 within OpenAI, there’s still some mystery about whether it will be branded as GPT-5 when it finally hits the public.

Of course, plans can change, and both OpenAI and Microsoft are keeping tight-lipped about this development. If you’re working at OpenAI and want to spill some beans (or just chat), feel free to reach out to me securely on Signal @kylie.01 or shoot me an email at kylie@theverge.com.

Orion has some impressive potential; an OpenAI executive hinted it could be up to 100 times more powerful than its predecessor, GPT-4. It’s distinct from the o1 reasoning model that was released last month. OpenAI is on a mission to blend its language models together over time, ultimately aiming for what could be known as artificial general intelligence (AGI).

Interestingly, reports suggest that OpenAI has been using o1—codenamed Strawberry—to generate synthetic data for training Orion. In September, the company even hosted a happy hour to celebrate wrapping up training for the new model—talk about a tech party!

This timing coincides with a rather cryptic post from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on X, where he expressed excitement for the “winter constellations” making their appearance soon. If you ask ChatGPT o1-preview about this post, it’ll tell you he’s likely hinting at Orion—the winter constellation that shines brightly from November through February (though it might also joke about rearranging letters to spell “ORION”).

The launch of Orion comes at a pivotal moment for OpenAI, especially after securing a staggering $6.6 billion funding round that will push the company into a new for-profit structure. On top of that, there’s been quite a bit of staff shake-up recently: CTO Mira Murati and other key figures like Bob McGrew and Barret Zoph have announced their departures.

As always, stay tuned for more updates as we keep an eye on this thrilling journey into the future of AI!