I wouldn't say that. Based on TwoMinutePapers, they have made some remarkable advancements in AI R&D. The difference is, they didn't release a prototype to the public.

I think the big pitfalls they want/need to avoid are confident incorrectness (ChatGPT is lovely except when it confidently says nonsense) and advertiser comfort (they are a business after all). Clearly they don't have a market-ready product. But I wouldn't write them off.

Obviously, though, competition is unambiguously good.

I think the bigger factor here is that research prototypes aren't typically released to the public. Companies that have released public betas have done so after numerous iterations behind closed doors. These are things that are not public by default. I'm going to get pushback saying this but I don't know why people feel entitled to freely test out R&D prototypes.

ChatGPT has been the exception, not the rule.