Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing subsidiary of Amazon, has launched a direct offensive against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT and a leader in artificial intelligence (AI). According to internal sales documents obtained by Business Insider, AWS is instructing its sales staff to point out OpenAI's weaknesses in terms of security, enterprise contracts, and access to third-party AI models. These policies are part of a broader strategy to undermine OpenAI's market position and lure customers to Amazon's AI services.
The documents, which cover the period from late 2023 to spring 2024, reveal that AWS is determined to curb the growth of its competitors in the AI space, with a particular focus on OpenAI. Amazon, which has been investing in artificial intelligence technologies for years, has seen OpenAI attract global attention since the launch of ChatGPT, putting Jeff Bezos' company in a second-tier position.
AWS is trying to reverse this situation by pointing out the weaknesses in OpenAI's offerings. Internal policies encourage sales reps to emphasize OpenAI's lack of access to AI models developed by third parties and the weakness of enterprise contracts. This approach aims to contrast OpenAI's perceived vulnerability with the robustness of AWS's cloud infrastructure, which the documents claim can provide a more secure and efficient environment for developing and deploying generative AI applications.
In addition, AWS is promoting Bedrock, its own AI tool, as a superior alternative to OpenAI's models. Bedrock is based on collaboration with providers such as Anthropic, Meta, and Cohere. Internal Amazon documents show that Anthropic's Claude model outperforms OpenAI's GPT models regarding intelligence, accuracy, speed, and cost. This claim, backed up by a recent $4 billion investment in Anthropic, is part of Amazon's efforts to highlight the strengths of its ecosystem compared to OpenAI.
AWS has also convinced several OpenAI customers to switch to its services. Companies such as HUDstats, Arcanum AI, Forcura, and Experian, which initially used OpenAI products, have already switched to AWS' AI solutions. Amazon sees this migration as a sign of the success of its confrontation strategy with OpenAI.
However, AWS is not limiting its criticism to OpenAI. The internal documents also contain targeted attacks on competitors such as Microsoft and Google, vying for their share of the AI market. Microsoft is criticized for the limited availability of its Maia AI chip, while Google is criticized for the limited number of base models on its Vertex AI platform.
When asked by Business Insider, an Amazon spokesperson defended AWS' strategy, saying the company is working to provide its sales teams with the information they need to communicate to customers why AWS is the best choice for developing generative AI applications. The spokesperson downplayed criticism that AWS was bad-mouthing its competitors, calling it "misguided speculation."
AWS' offensive against OpenAI and other competitors reflects the intense competition in the AI market, where companies are vying not only to dominate the technology but also to win the favor of developers and businesses looking to harness the power of artificial intelligence. By highlighting OpenAI's weaknesses, AWS is trying to position itself as the most secure and robust option for those looking to integrate AI into their operations.
