Some experts from OpenAI cautioned the board in a letter prior to Sam Altman’s dismissal, expressing concerns that a certain discovery could have negative implications for humanity, as reported by Reuters.
On the eve of Altman’s termination, he engaged in a discussion about a breakthrough in the field that aimed to “unveil new knowledge and expand the boundaries of discovery.”
A notable advancement in AI, highlighted by Reuters, led to the board being alerted by multiple staff researchers.
As per Reuters, there has been no review of the letter. Contradicting this, an individual speaking to The Verge stated that the board did not actually receive such a letter.
Despite Reuters’ assertion that OpenAI confirmed the existence of a document to the board and an initiative named Q* after being contacted, an OpenAI spokesperson informed the news agency that the purpose was solely to notify the staff about the report without validating its accuracy.
Furthermore, the disclosure provided insights into the project.
According to Reuters, some employees at OpenAI believe that Q* could represent a significant step forward in the organization’s quest for AGI, which involves autonomous systems surpassing humans in most commercially viable tasks.
Reuters reported that Q* demonstrated exceptional proficiency in solving mathematical problems with extensive computational resources, a feat that researchers are highly optimistic about.
The presence of Q* and the aforementioned letter were cited by Reuters as key factors that contributed to the committee’s decision to dismiss Altman the following Friday.
In response to Altman’s termination, over 700 out of 770 OpenAI employees signed a letter on Monday threatening to depart for Microsoft if he was not reinstated.
Altman was reinstated on Tuesday evening, following the employees’ collective action.
Business Insider reached out to OpenAI after regular US business hours, but did not immediately receive a response.
