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'GPT-OSS: Examining OpenAI's new play.

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# GPT OSS - Is it EEE?
# GPT OSS - Is It EEE?
## The Big Announcement: OpenAI Drops GPT-OSS
## Introduction: The Return of OpenAI with GPT-OSS
So, OpenAI has gone and done it again. This week, they dropped a bombshell into the AI community with the release of **GPT-OSS**, a pair of open-source models that supposedly can do everything from outperforming their own proprietary models to running on a GPU that costs less than your first car. Let me break this down.
This week, the AI world got a bit more exciting—or maybe just a bit more chaotic—with the release of **GPT-OSS** from OpenAI. Like a long-lost friend bringing a gift, they’ve dropped two models that promise to shake things up: a 120b parameter model and a 20b model. Now, I’m not here to tell you if it’s good or bad—I’ll leave that to the benchmark tests—but what I can say is that it’s certainly got everyone talking. For those of us who’ve been tinkering with AI locally (and maybe even burning a few GPUs in the process), this feels like OpenAI finally *gets* it. They’re offering models that can run on everything from edge devices to beefy GPUs, which is kind of like finding out your favorite barista started making flat whites at home. It’s convenient, but does it mean they’re trying to corner the market?
### The Two Models: 120B and 20B
## The Rivalry: OpenAI vs. the Rest
OpenAI has released **two models**:
Now, let’s not pretend this is a surprise party. OpenAI has been the belle of the ball for years, but lately, the competition has stepped up their game. Google’s **Gemma** and Microsoft’s **Phi series** have been making waves with open-source models that rival GPT-4 in performance. Then there’s DeepSeek and Qwen, who’ve been serving up solid results but come with their own set of baggage—like trying to herd a群 kangaroos on the highway. The developer community has been experimenting with these alternatives for months now. I mean, why wouldn’t they? Local models like Qwen are like having your own personal barista—you don’t have to wait in line, and you can tweak the blend to your liking. But OpenAI’s GPT-OSS is trying to change the game by offering something familiar yet fresh—like a new pair of thongs after a long winter.
* **gpt-oss-120b**: A monster with 120 billion parameters. They claim it "achieves near-parity with OpenAI o4-mini on core reasoning benchmarks, while running efficiently on a single 80 GB GPU." Sounds impressive, right? Except that GPU is a beast. You're looking at something like an A100 or H100, which are the kind of hardware that would make your average developer cry into their coffee.
* **gpt-oss-20b**: The smaller sibling, with 20 billion parameters. OpenAI says it "delivers similar results to OpenAI o3-mini on common benchmarks and can run on edge devices with just 16 GB of memory." Oh, how cute. This one could run on a Raspberry Pi if it weren't for the fact that 16 GB of memory is still more than most of us have on our laptops.
## The Embrace, Extend, Extinguish Strategy: A Familiar Playbook
And both models supposedly perform strongly on **tool use**, **few-shot function calling**, **CoT reasoning**, and even **HealthBench** (which is a benchmark for medical AI). They even say it outperforms **proprietary models like OpenAI o1 and GPT-4o**. That's a bold claim, but hey, if it's true, it's a game-changer.
Now, here’s where things get interesting. OpenAI, being a Microsoft subsidiary, knows a thing or two about business strategies. Remember the old saying “embrace, extend, extinguish”? It’s like when your mate buys you a drink at the pub, then adds some extra ice cubes to make it colder—only to take over the whole bar eventually. With GPT-OSS, OpenAI is embracing the open-source movement that others have already started. They’re extending their reach by offering models that are not only competitive but also easier to deploy locally. And if they play their cards right, they might just extinguish the competition by making their version the go-to choice for developers. But here’s the kicker: OpenAI has always been a bit of a luxury brand in the AI world. Their models are great, but they come with a hefty price tag—like buying a Rolex when you could’ve gotten a decent watch for half the price. Now, with GPT-OSS, they’re lowering the barrier to entry, which is great for developers but might also be a ploy to lock them in.
## Ollama Goes All-In on GPT-OSS
## Ollama Steps In: The Enthusiast’s Best Friend
Now, if you're not familiar with **Ollama**, let me give you a quick intro. It's a tool that lets you run large language models locally on your machine, and it's been a bit of a darling in the open-source AI community. Well, Ollama just released **version 0.11**, and it's basically a love letter to GPT-OSS. They've optimized the hell out of it to make sure GPT-OSS runs as smoothly as possible on your local machine. That's impressive, but it also raises a few questions. Why is Ollama so excited about this? What's in it for them? And more importantly, what's in it for us?
If there’s one thing that solidifies OpenAI’s move, it’s **Ollama**. They’ve released version 0.11, which is practically a love letter to GPT-OSS. It’s optimized for these models, making it easier than ever to run them locally. For developers, this feels like finding out your favorite café now does delivery—except instead of coffee, they’re serving up AI models. But here’s the catch: Ollama is already a hero in the developer community. They’ve been working tirelessly to make local AI accessible to everyone, and now they’re doubling down on OpenAI’s models. It’s like having your favorite band release an album that samples their greatest hits—except instead of music, it’s AI tools.
## The Big Question: Is This EEE?
## The Developer Takeover: Where the Real Action Is
Now, here's where I start to get a little uneasy. You see, **OpenAI is a Microsoft subsidiary**. They've been around for a while, and they've had their fair share of controversy. There was the whole **DeepSeek** thing, where investors got so worked up about it that it sent **Microsoft and NVIDIA stocks** into a temporary freefall. That's not something you want to mess with.
Let’s get real for a second. The future of AI isn’t in chatbots that can tell you how many kangaroos are in a jar (spoiler: it’s not easy to count). It’s in developers building tools that integrate AI into everyday apps—like having your phone call a plumber for you or your fridge order groceries automatically. For years, OpenAI has been the belle of the ball, but they’ve missed out on this developer-driven innovation. Now, with GPT-OSS, they’re trying to make up for lost time. But the question is: will developers buy in? The answer seems to be a resounding “maybe.” On one hand, OpenAI’s models are powerful and familiar. On the other hand, there’s a growing contingent of developers who’ve already found success with alternatives like Claude and Qwen. These models might not have all the bells and whistles, but they’re free—and that’s hard to beat.
And then there's the **Embrace, Extend, Extinguish** strategy. If you're not familiar with it, it's a classic Microsoft tactic. Here's how it works:
## Conclusion: The Road Ahead
1. **Embrace** a technology or standard that's popular.
2. **Extend** it with your own proprietary features.
3. **Extinguish** the original standard by making your extended version the de facto standard.
So, is this what OpenAI is doing with GPT-OSS? Are they trying to **suck in the developer market** and **lock them in** with their own tools and services? Because if that's the case, it's a very clever move.
## The Developer Market: A Battle for the Future
Let's be honest, **OpenAI has been losing ground** in the developer market. Google's **Gemma** and Microsoft's **Phi** series have been doing a decent job of capturing the attention of developers. And then there's **Qwen**, the fully open-source model from Alibaba, which has been doing surprisingly well. Even **Claude** from Anthropic is starting to make waves.
These models are **good**. They're **fast**. They're **efficient**. And they're **open-source**. That's a big deal. Because when you're a developer, you want to **control your own stack**. You don't want to be locked into a proprietary system that's going to cost you a fortune in API calls.
But here's the thing: **OpenAI is still the king of the consumer market**. They've got the **brand recognition**, the **marketing budget**, and the **influencers**. They're the **McDonald's of AI**. You can't ignore them. They're everywhere.
## The Future of AI: Not Just Chatbots
Now, here's where I think the **real future of AI** lies. It's not just about **chatbots**. It's not just about **answering silly questions**. It's about **building tools** that can **summarize**, **write**, **structure text**, and **provide the glue** between our services. That's where the **value** is. That's where the **money** is. And that's where **OpenAI has been missing in action**.
Sure, they've got **GPT-4**, and it's **amazing**. But when you're trying to build a **real-world application**, you don't want to be paying **$1 per token**. You want something that's **fast**, **efficient**, and **open-source**. That's why models like **Gemma**, **Phi**, and **Qwen** are starting to **take off**. They're the **tools** that developers want. They're the **ones** that can be **integrated** into **real applications**.
## Testing GPT-OSS: A Journalist's Perspective
Now, I'm not here to **bash** OpenAI. I'm a **journalist**, and I want to **understand** what's going on. So, I've been **testing GPT-OSS** myself. I've been running it on my local machine, and I have to say, it's **impressive**. It's **fast**, **efficient**, and **capable**. It's not perfect, but it's **getting close**.
And that's what scares me. Because if this model is **as good as they say**, and if it's **running on a single GPU**, then we're looking at a **new era** in AI. One where **developers** can **build tools** that are **as powerful as GPT-4**, but **without the cost**.
But here's the catch: **OpenAI is still a US company**. And they're still **controlled by Microsoft**. That means we're still looking at a **monopoly** in the AI space. A **monopoly** that's **controlled by a single company** with **deep pockets**. And that's the **real problem**. Because when you have a **monopoly**, you don't get **innovation**. You get **stagnation**. You get **high prices**. You get **lock-in**.
## The Road Ahead: Open Source or Die
So, where do we go from here? Well, I think it's **time for the AI community** to **embrace open source**. To **reject the monopolies**. To **build tools** that are **fast**, **efficient**, and **open**. Because if we don't, we're going to end up in a **world** where the **only possible LLM** is the one created by a **US monopoly**. And that's not a **world** I want to live in.
So, let's **embrace open source**. Let's **build tools** that are **fast**, **efficient**, and **open**. Let's **reject the monopolies**. Let's **build a future** where **developers** can **innovate**, **create**, and **build** without being **locked in** to a **proprietary system**. Because that's the **future** we want. That's the **future** we deserve.
And if OpenAI wants to **play in that future**, they're going to have to **embrace open source**. Because that's the **only way** to **win**. Otherwise, they're going to be left **holding the bag**, just like **Microsoft** did with **Windows 95**. And that's not a **future** I want to see.
So, is GPT-OSS EEE? Maybe, maybe not. OpenAI has certainly embraced the open-source movement by releasing these models, but whether they extend or extinguish remains to be seen. For now, it’s a game of wait and see—as we developers know, sometimes the best strategy is to sit back, pour yourself a cup of tea, and watch the show unfold. As for me? I’ll keep my local AI server ready, just in case OpenAI decides to pull a fast one. But until then, I’m here, sipping my flat white, wondering if GPT-OSS will be the new black or just another flavor of the month.