OpenAI to Release New Open AI Model with Cloud-Powered 'Handoff' Feature

OpenAI wants its 'open' AI model to call models in the cloud for help | TechCrunch

For the first time in roughly five years, OpenAI is gearing up to release an AI system that's truly "open," meaning it'll be available for download at no cost and not gated behind an API. TechCrunch reported on Wednesday that OpenAI is aiming for an early summer launch, and targeting performance superior to open models from Meta and DeepSeek. Beyond its benchmark performance, OpenAI may have a key feature up its sleeve -- one that could make its open "reasoning" model highly competitive, TechCrunch has learned. Company leaders have been discussing plans to enable the open model to connect to OpenAI's cloud-hosted models to better answer complex queries, two sources familiar with the matter tell TechCrunch. During a recent meeting with developers in the open source AI community, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman described the capability as a "handoff," according to one of the sources. OpenAI did not respond to TechCrunch's request for comment. If the feature -- as sources describe it -- makes it into the open model, it will be able to make calls to the OpenAI API to access the company's other, larger models for a substantial computational lift. It's unclear if the open model will have the ability to access some of the many tools OpenAI's models can use, like web search and image generation. The idea for the handoff feature was suggested by a developer during one of OpenAI's recent developer forums, according to a source. The suggestion appears to have gained traction within the company. OpenAI has been hosting a series of community feedback events with developers to help shape its upcoming open model release. A local model that can tap into more powerful cloud systems brings to mind Apple Intelligence, Apple's suite of AI capabilities that uses a combination of on-device models and models running in "private" data centers. OpenAI stands to benefit in obvious ways. Beyond generating incremental revenue, a handoff could rope more members of the open source community into the company's premium ecosystem. There are many unknowns around how OpenAI's open model handoff feature might work, including what the pricing and rate limits may be. The model is in the early stages, and it's possible that aspects of it could change or otherwise not come to fruition. OpenAI is in the process of training a new model from scratch rather than repurposing an old one for its open release, sources tell TechCrunch. One source told TechCrunch the open model is expected to underperform OpenAI's o3, but outperform DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model on certain benchmarks.

OpenAI's first open model in five years is coming

OpenAI is set to release an "open" AI model for free download in early summer, marking its first such release in about five years. The model is expected to outperform open models from Meta and DeepSeek. According to TechCrunch, OpenAI leaders are considering a key feature that could make the open "reasoning" model highly competitive: the ability to connect to OpenAI's cloud-hosted models to better answer complex queries. During a recent meeting with open-source AI community developers, CEO Sam Altman described this capability as a "handoff." If implemented, the feature will allow the open model to make calls to the OpenAI API, accessing larger models for significant computational power. The open model's ability to access tools like web search and image generation is still unclear. The idea for the handoff feature originated from a developer's suggestion during one of OpenAI's recent developer forums. OpenAI has been hosting community feedback events to shape its upcoming open model release. A local model that taps into more powerful cloud systems is reminiscent of Apple Intelligence, which combines on-device models with models running in "private" data centers. This feature could generate incremental revenue and draw more open-source community members into OpenAI's premium ecosystem. Details on the handoff feature, including pricing and rate limits, remain unclear. The model is still in the early stages, and aspects of it may change or not be finalized. OpenAI is training a new model from scratch for its open release, rather than repurposing an existing one. The open model is expected to underperform OpenAI's o3 but outperform DeepSeek's R1 reasoning model on certain benchmarks.