OpenAI launches decision model API amid intensifying competition

OpenAI launched its Decisions API, a decision-making model designed for rapid, cost-effective intelligence, entering a competitive market driven by TypeSafe’s Jev model. TypeSafe, founded by a former frontier lab researcher, became a $7.6 billion company after its Jev model created a new category for deep learning models acting as super classifiers, making quick decisions with confidence ratings. OpenAI’s product lead, Nikunj Handa, noted the team reconfigured ChatGPT Luna to create the API, achieving speeds of 100-180 milliseconds. Announced at OpenAI’s developer day on September 29, the API became available to all customers on October 22, with added voice and visual modalities and global latency improvements. Initial trials with Box, Datadog, and Speak showed performance gains, with Speak reducing action times from 1.4 seconds to 0.13 seconds. Public benchmarks like the AIM System One Index and Artificial Analysis Decision Index favor Liquid’s D1 Ultra and Base Lab’s Elephant-1, though TypeSafe’s latest Jev model remains competitive, ranking seventh and third. Felix Wunderlich of Opper AI highlighted JevMan, a benchmark where models play PacMan, noting the model’s success in high-stakes, rapid decision-making. Handa also emphasized potential for further speed improvements, suggesting applications like real-time video processing. As decision models become faster and cheaper, they are expected to unlock previously unseen use cases, echoing the legacy of Jev, an economist who championed efficient resource use.