By Anna Tong

Artificial intelligence leader OpenAI said on Monday it is releasing a version of ChatGPT targeted to large businesses, increasing the overlap in what OpenAI and its financial backer Microsoft offer to customers.

ChatGPT Enterprise offers more security, privacy and higher-speed access to OpenAI’s technology, the company said. Early customers include Block, Carlyle and Estée Lauder Companies.

When OpenAI released the consumer-focused ChatGPT in November, it set off frenzied use of generative AI in daily tasks from writing to coding, and reached 100 million monthly active users in January.

Many people in the U.S. have used ChatGPT to help with work-related tasks, even though their employers discourage it, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

With the launch of ChatGPT Enterprise, OpenAI hopes employers will feel comfortable embracing ChatGPT usage at work.

Microsoft already offers businesses access to ChatGPT via its Azure OpenAI Service, though in order to use it businesses must be a customer of Azure, Microsoft’s cloud computing platform.

ChatGPT Enterprise subscribers need not subscribe to Azure, OpenAI said. OpenAI and Microsoft have introduced overlapping services before, and it is unclear how much the two companies are competing over customers.

(Reporting by Anna Tong in San Francisco; Editing by Chris Reese)