Glossary · 2 · The AI landscape: brands and model families
OpenAI (ChatGPT, GPT models)
Also known as: ChatGPT, GPT
OpenAI is a US AI company, founded in 2015, that develops the GPT family of large language models and reasoning models and the ChatGPT assistant, whose public launch in November 2022 brought generative AI to a mass audience. It also offers image, audio and video models, the Codex coding agent and a developer API.
- Beginner
- Technical writers
- Technical marketers
- Technical project managers
- Developers
- AI brand
In one sentence
OpenAI in brief: the company behind ChatGPT and the GPT models, its products for writers, marketers and developers, and what sets it apart.
Example
A marketing team uses ChatGPT to brainstorm campaign angles, while the developers call the OpenAI API to power an in-product help assistant.
Why it matters on your learning path
- Technical writers: ChatGPT is often the first AI tool writers meet. Business plans offer workspace controls; check what happens to uploaded content.
- Technical marketers: The brand most people associate with AI; “ChatGPT” is used generically, much like a trademark that became a verb.
- Technical project managers: Available directly and through Microsoft Azure; enterprise terms govern data use and retention.
- Developers: The OpenAI API and its SDKs set many conventions (chat messages, function calling, structured output) that other vendors mirror.
Keep in mind
Product names, model versions and prices change often. This entry describes the brand’s position as of its review date; check the vendor’s own pages before you cite a model name or capability.