OpenAI Establishes New AI Services Business, Following Anthropic's Lead

OpenAI has officially formed a new services business unit to help companies adopt artificial intelligence (AI) technology. This step marks a strategic shift for OpenAI, which is now not only selling AI models like ChatGPT but also entering the AI consulting and implementation business for corporations. According to a Reuters report, the new unit is named OpenAI Deployment Company and is supported by initial investment of more than $4 billion, or approximately Rp65 trillion. OpenAI has also acquired an AI consulting firm named Tomoro, which has around 150 engineers and AI implementation specialists. Through this new unit, OpenAI will place AI engineers directly into companies to help identify business areas that can be automated or improved with AI. This strategy positions OpenAI to encroach on the territory traditionally occupied by technology consulting firms and systems integrators. OpenAI is not the only AI company taking such a step. A few days earlier, its rival Anthropic also announced the formation of a new AI services company backed by investment of around $1.5 billion. According to industry analysts, this trend indicates that AI companies are now entering the direct implementation business, rather than just selling AI models or APIs. This is seen as a new threat to traditional IT services companies such as Accenture, Infosys, TCS, and Wipro. Reuters states that OpenAI and Anthropic are now acquiring AI services companies to accelerate large-scale AI adoption in corporations. This business model is said to be similar to Palantir’s strategy, which involves placing engineers directly in customers’ operational environments to integrate AI more quickly with company systems. The AI implementation services market itself is estimated to reach $600 billion this year. Nevertheless, several analysts believe this strategy also risks creating conflicts with consultant and integrator partners who have previously helped sell and implement OpenAI and Anthropic’s AI products.