Two individuals familiar with the situation informed Reuters that multiple workers and researchers had alerted the board of directors about a significant artificial intelligence discovery that they believed posed a potential threat to humanity prior to the temporary absence of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman for four days.
As per the sources, Altman, a prominent figure in relational AI, was dismissed by the board following concerns raised in the previously undisclosed letter and related AI algorithms. Over 700 employees had expressed intentions to resign and join Microsoft (MSFT) in solidarity with their ousted leader before Altman’s reinstatement on Tuesday. O) in a show of support for their ousted leader.
The letter was among several grievances presented to the board that led to Altman’s termination, as per the insiders. Despite efforts, Reuters was unable to obtain a copy of the letter for review. Requests for comments from the authors of the letter went unanswered.
One account suggests that senior executive Mira Murati informed staff members on Wednesday that the board’s decision was influenced by a letter concerning the AI breakthrough known as Q* (pronounced Q-Star).
According to one source, the developer of ChatGPT had made advancements on Q*, a development that some insiders view as a potential milestone in the company’s pursuit of superintelligence, also known as artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI refers to AI systems that surpass human intelligence as AGI.
The individual, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to represent the company, mentioned that the new model demonstrated promising capabilities in addressing complex scientific challenges leveraging extensive processing capabilities. Despite performing basic arithmetic akin to elementary school students, the model’s ability to tackle such tasks has instilled optimism among researchers regarding the potential success of Q*.
Reuters was unable to verify independently the assertions made by the scientists regarding the features of Q*.
