When OpenAI launched ChatGPT, with zero fanfare, in late November 2022, nobody inside the company was prepared for a viral mega-hit. It was viewed in-house as a “research preview,” a tease of a more polished version of a two-year-old technology and a way to iron out some of its flaws.
But then it absolutely blew up. The firm has been scrambling to catch up—and capitalize on its success—ever since.
To get the inside story behind the chatbot—how it was made, how OpenAI has been updating it since release, and how its makers feel about its success—our senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven talked to four people who helped build what has become the most popular internet app ever.
—Will Douglas Heaven
The idea of using a “three-parent baby” technique for infertility just got a boost
This week, my colleague Jessica Hamzelou published a big story about a controversial treatment that creates babies with three genetic parents. The “three-parent baby” technique was thought to help parents avoid passing diseases on to their kids. But new findings suggest it doesn’t always work—and could create babies at risk of severe diseases.
The evidence comes from two babies born after the procedure was used to help couples with a different problem: infertility. It’s lucky we found the problem in these cases—these babies didn’t have parents with disease-causing mutations, so they should be fine.
And there’s another silver lining. The results add to growing evidence that the “three-parent” technique might help treat infertility and shed light on why some people struggle to conceive. Read the full story.
This story is from The Checkup, Jessica’s weekly newsletter covering all sorts of biotech breakthroughs. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday.
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