GPT-2: 6-month follow-up
OpenAI releases full GPT-2 (774M params) after 6-month staged rollout—setting new norms for AI safety in publication.
Why it matters
This marks a watershed moment in AI governance: OpenAI's staged release of GPT-2 introduced the 'responsible disclosure' playbook that became industry standard. The decision to withhold and then release the full model shaped how AI labs think about safety vs. openness.
The key facts
9 to know774 million parameter model released (full version after 6-month delay)
Staged release: 124M (Feb 2019) → 355M (May 2019) → 774M (Aug 2019)
Open-source legal agreement for model-sharing partnerships included
Coordinated with AI research community on publication norms
Published: August 20, 2019
774 million parameter model released (full scale)
Staged release over 6 months: 124M (Feb) → 355M (May) → 774M (Aug 2019)
Open-source legal agreement for model-sharing partnerships
Technical report on AI research community coordination and publication norms
Go to the source
OpenAI Blogopenai.com
Publisher excerpt: We’re releasing the 774 million parameter GPT-2 language model after the release of our small 124M model in February, staged release of our medium 355M model in May, and subsequent research with partners and the AI community into the model’s potential for misuse and societal benefit. We’re also…