The Confounding World of AI Naming Conventions
A Guide to the Mysterious World of AI Names
At the tail-end of January, artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI released its latest model — a cute-sounding version called o3-mini. Designed to repel cheap Chinese rivals, it chalked up another victory for the sector’s mystifying inability to think up coherent names.
The Problem with Naming Conventions
See if you can spot the problem: the o3-mini came out six months after the 4o mini. And the 4o mini was released after the 4, which came out after the 3.5. Last week, co-founder Sam Altman confirmed that the next release would be the 4.5.
A Brief History of AI Naming Conventions
OpenAI used to employ sensible, sequential numbers, making its AI models as easy to track as iPhone releases. But when the next great leap of technological progress proved difficult to nail down, the company’s naming strategy went skittering off in strange new directions. Instead of going from 3 to 4, it began bolting on additional letters and words.
The Weird World of AI Names
It’s not as if OpenAI isn’t aware of the problem. Last year, Altman agreed with a commenter who said that he needed a naming scheme revamp. In fact, Altman doesn’t seem too keen on any of OpenAI’s nomenclature. He has described chatbot ChatGPT, its most famous product, as a "horrible" name and told one interviewer that if he could go back in time and pick something other than OpenAI, he would.
A Tech Tradition
Weird names are, of course, a tech tradition. Some of the industry’s best-known companies were created in the early 2000s, when nonsense words were cheap to buy as domain names. Think Zynga, Flickr, and Zillow.
A Look at Other AI Start-Ups
AI start-ups of the past decade have taken a more sensible route (OpenAI, xAI, etc.). But the sector has continued the custom elsewhere. A few years ago, the tech website The Verge noticed a trend for model acronyms with Muppet names, including ELMo, Big BIRD, and ERNIE. This appears to have been done for no other reason than researchers amusing themselves and each other.
Inside Jokes and Names
Inside jokes and names that mean more to the people working on a project than those who might one day use it explain a lot of other apparently odd choices — including Elon Musk’s sassy "anti-woke" chatbot Grok. The word is a tech-person term for understanding something (as in you grok a design). It comes from a 1960s sci-fi novel Musk likes called Stranger in a Strange Land about a human raised by Martians who travels to Earth.
A Look at Google’s Approach
Google last year rebranded its own AI chatbot as Gemini, which is also the name of its large language model. What does the name Gemini have to do with AI? Basically, nothing. The company’s official explanation notes that it is a constellation linked to a set of twins in Greek mythology and ties in to the importance of an AI assistant having a "dual-natured personality, capable of adapting quickly."
A Look at Other Companies’ Approaches
Companies with a long history of consumer sales tend to take a more user-friendly approach to AI product names. Microsoft’s AI assistant is Copilot, a neat description for the way in which it is designed to assist users as a copilot helps a pilot.
Conclusion
Eventually, rational naming strategies for AI may prevail. Dell recently announced that it was going to ditch computer sub-brands such as Inspiron and adopt simple names for its PCs based around the term Pro. Of course, Dell sold its first PC in 1985. If AI follows the same trajectory, we’ll have about 40 years to wait.
FAQs
Q: Why do AI companies use weird names?
A: AI companies often use weird names as inside jokes or to reference technical terms that may be confusing to the average user.
Q: What is the problem with OpenAI’s naming convention?
A: OpenAI’s naming convention is confusing and lacks a clear pattern, making it difficult for users to keep track of their AI models.
Q: Are there any examples of good AI naming conventions?
A: Yes, companies like Microsoft and Google have adopted more user-friendly names for their AI products, such as Copilot and Gemini.
