A letter warning of AI breakthrough preceded OpenAI CEO's departure
Ahead of Sam Altman's unceremonious exit, OpenAI researchers sent a letter to the organization's board of directors, cautioning them about a powerful AI breakthrough that could potentially pose a threat to humanity, reported Reuters. This letter and the AI algorithm, known as Q* (pronounced Q-Star), probably played a major role in the sudden removal of Altman. On Wednesday, Altman was reinstated after more than 700 employees threatened to leave and join Microsoft in support of him.
Project Q* and its potential
Q* is considered by some at OpenAI to be a major advancement in the pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI), which refers to autonomous systems that can outperform humans in most economically valuable tasks. The AI model has demonstrated the ability to solve specific mathematical problems, making researchers hopeful about its future potential. However, Reuters couldn't independently verify these claims.
Math as a frontier of generative AI development
Mathematics is seen as a critical area for generative AI development since mastering it would enable advanced reasoning capabilities similar to human intelligence. This could be applied to innovative scientific research, for example. Researchers have also highlighted the work of an "AI scientist" team, which was formed by merging earlier "Code Gen" and "Math Gen" teams. This team is investigating ways to optimize existing AI models to enhance their reasoning and eventually conduct scientific work.
Altman's firing
Before his dismissal, Altman played a crucial role in the rapid growth of ChatGPT and secured investment from Microsoft to advance AGI. At a summit in San Francisco, he hinted at momentous progress, stating, "Four times now in the history of OpenAI... I've gotten to be in the room when we sort of push the veil of ignorance back and the frontier of discovery forward." The board removed Altman the following day, as per Reuters.
