Transformers in 2017 basically were just better at computing similarities between blocks of text. OpenAI really did take them and turn them into something new.
"room-temp semiconductors in 2023 were just small blocks of stuff levitating atop magnets without needing to be cooled. XYZ really did manage to produce them into useful shapes that still remain superconductive when you push more than 0.00001 amps through them"