[gdb]

(I work at OpenAI.)

> especially as someone that didn't get a response for my requests for GPT-3 beta access

We are still working our way through the beta list — we've received tens of thousands of applications and we're trying to grow responsibly. We will definitely get to you (and everyone else who applies), but it may take some time.

We are generally prioritizing people with a specific application they'd like to build, if you email me directly ([e-mail]) I may be able to accelerate an invite to you.

[ve55]

Thanks for the response - I had assumed the beta period was soon coming to an end, so by the time I was able to have access I'd have to pay just for basic experimentation. It was hard to say specifically what I'd design since I'd have to experiment with the API first to see if the ideas I had were feasible, so I probably did a poor job at that part of the application, but appreciate the offer!

[hanoz]

> We are generally prioritizing people with a specific application they'd like to build.

Why?

[csande17]

OpenAI's goals are (1) make money and (2) generate positive press coverage about OpenAI. (They make statements about wanting other things but that's mainly to help them achieve (2).)

Prioritizing people with concrete project ideas helps them in both areas: they're more likely to convert into paid customers down the line, and they're more likely to generate "OpenAI technology is now being used for X" press releases.

[elpin]

I think there's a fair argument that groups attempting to make a specific product are more likely to drive platform development than random individuals who just want to noodle around. This isn't to say that the more individual experimenters won't drive development too, just that when you're dealing with limited resources you do have to make some decisions about allocation.

Just framing it in terms of money and "generating positive press coverage" is a little cynical IMO. Is prioritizing any cool use cases of their technology that push the boundaries of today's technology to create real use cases besides "haha look I can make GPT3 parody VC Medium/LinkedIn articles" just press optics? I don't think so but can also understand the concern especially given this article is about democratization.