OpenAI's most powerful inference model o3 has been released

On April 16th local time, the OpenAI o3/o4 mini model was finally officially launched. The live broadcast lasted nearly 30 minutes, with a fast pace that was almost soaring, yet it was brimming with information. OpenAI claims that o3 approaches General Artificial Intelligence (AGI) under certain conditions. OpenAI has released the new models o3 and o4-mini, which for the first time can intelligently use and combine all the tools in ChatGPT - including searching web pages, analyzing uploaded files and other data with Python, performing deep reasoning on visual input, and even generating images. It is introduced that these models have been trained to reason when and how to use the tools to generate detailed and considerate answers in the correct output format, thereby solving more complex problems. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in the live stream, "We believe this is the beginning of the next stage of AI." You can use these models to complete increasingly complex tasks that require a lot of reasoning. He also praised o3's performance in programming as incredible.

o3 is the first model of OpenAI that supports image thought chain reasoning and can directly integrate images into the logical reasoning process. The release of this model has brought complex and multi-faceted impacts to the field of science and technology. The first is the impact on technical capabilities. o3 performs exceptionally well in complex logical reasoning tasks such as mathematics, programming, and solving scientific problems. Meanwhile, o3 is the first model that supports image thinking chain reasoning, which can directly integrate images into the logical reasoning process and achieve the deep integration of text and visual information. o3 has a powerful tool invocation capability and can independently select and use tools to complete complex tasks. However, enterprises and individuals may overly rely on o3 to complete complex tasks, resulting in the degradation of human skills themselves. For example, programmers may neglect the cultivation of basic programming skills by relying on models to generate code. The autonomous decision-making ability of o3 may exceed human control, especially in high-risk scenarios. For instance, in autonomous driving or medical diagnosis, incorrect decisions made by the model may lead to serious consequences.

The second is the impact on the technology industry. Although o3 can assist researchers in analyzing complex data, verifying hypotheses, and even generating new research ideas. It can also serve as a powerful programming assistant, providing suggestions for code completion, error fixing and performance optimization, significantly enhancing software development efficiency. However, the training and inference of o3 require a large amount of computing resources, resulting in increased energy consumption and carbon emissions. A few tech giants may monopolize AI resources, making it difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to obtain technical support and exacerbating technological monopolies. Furthermore, the release of o3 may trigger a global AI technology competition. Countries will increase their investment to compete for technological advantages, leading to resource waste and tensions. The military application of AI technology may intensify international conflicts. For example, the development of autonomous weapon systems may trigger a new round of arms race.

Thirdly, there is the impact on data security. The powerful reasoning ability of o3 may be used to develop malicious software, cyber attack tools or biological weapons. For example, it can generate complex codes or analyze the structure of chemical substances. If improperly utilized, it may pose a threat to public safety. The model training data may contain social biases, causing o3 to produce discriminatory results when making decisions. For example, in scenarios such as recruitment or loan approval, unfair treatment of specific groups may occur. When o3 processes sensitive data, if the security measures are insufficient, it may lead to the leakage of user privacy. For example, in the fields of medicine or finance, models may be attacked to obtain sensitive information.

To sum up, the release of o3 brings great opportunities for technological development, but its risks cannot be ignored either. To reduce risks, enterprises and individuals need to take comprehensive measures from the aspects of technology, ethics, law and society, etc.