Azure Open AI Service: What Is Generative AI?

Artificial intelligence is without a doubt the tech innovation of the year — and probably of the decade. What’s remarkable this time is that it’s right at our fingertips thanks to services like Azure Open AI. But what exactly is generative AI? Why use it, and what is it used for?

Generative AI

Generative AI is a branch of artificial intelligence focused on creating new content, whether it’s an image or a piece of text. What’s interesting (and often debated) is that it draws on its “creativity” to generate this content — and it does so based on its training. Why debated? Because it’s influenced by the sources it was trained on, just like humans are. But one thing is clear: it’s not simply copying existing content, but generating something completely new — which is why, in many cases, the output includes commercial usage rights.

Why use it?

The biggest advantage is saving time. The content it generates might not be perfect, but it delivers a more than acceptable result in far less time than doing it manually. Plus, the cost is relatively low if you’re using a pre-configured service like ChatGPT on Azure Open AI. Often, the output isn’t better than what we could produce ourselves, but it serves as a great starting point — something we can then refine and adapt to our needs. For example, you could ask it to translate a text to English, then make edits to better match your tone or style.

What can I use it for?

There are countless use cases, but these are great starting points if you’re new to generative AI:

• Content and design creation: In seconds, and with just a simple prompt, you can generate images, text, and even layouts for flyers or presentations.
• Virtual assistants: If you have a data or knowledge source, you can easily integrate a virtual assistant that understands natural language (i.e., it responds like a person would) and quickly retrieves information based on your questions.
• Translations: Not only can it translate text, but also audio and even video with integrated audio. It’s truly impressive — and in a few years, we might only need an AI-powered translator to communicate with anyone in the world.

How can I try Azure Open AI services?

First, you’ll need an Azure account. Then, you can request access to the service. Once approved, head to the Azure Open AI Studio where you can test out ChatGPT or even generate images with DALL·E. While it’s a paid service, you can start experimenting with a free Azure account and a $200 credit valid for the first 30 days.

Conclusions

We’re clearly at the very beginning of a long road filled with innovation. But generative AI is already a powerful tool we can — and should — take advantage of, no matter what industry we’re in. Its ability to create content in a short time can give us a huge edge over competitors — and even help spark new ideas and creative solutions we might not have thought of before.

So, what kind of projects do you think could benefit from generative AI?