OpenAI researchers alerted board to potentially groundbreaking AI discovery before CEO ouster

According to sources, prior to the recent ouster of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, the organization's researchers sent a letter to the board of directors warning of a significant breakthrough in artificial intelligence that posed a potential threat to humanity.

The letter and the undisclosed AI algorithm were the deciding factors leading to Altman's ouster, as there is growing concern about the commercialization of advances without fully understanding their implications. Although Reuters couldn't review the letter, sources indicate it highlighted safety concerns related to the powerful AI discovery.

The AI project, dubbed Q* (pronounced Q-Star), is seen by some OpenAI members as a potential breakthrough in the search for artificial general intelligence (AGI). Although the model currently solves some math tasks at a grade school level, its ability to perform tasks with a single correct answer suggests greater reasoning capabilities reminiscent of human intelligence.

Compared to a calculator, which can solve a limited number of operations, AGI can generalize, learn and comprehend.

This breakthrough can be applied in various fields, such as new scientific research. Despite the optimism of researchers, discussions have intensified in the AI community about the potential dangers of highly intelligent machines and their implications for humanity.