Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, was ousted by the company's board of directors after staff researchers warned the company's board about a potentially dangerous AI discovery named Q* (pronounced as Q-Star). Q* could radically improve artificial intelligence (AI) reasoning and could be considered as a major breakthrough in the development of artificial general intelligence, reports Reuters.
One of the peculiarities of generative AI is that it bases its answers on information that it has previously "learned" (parsed, examined, indexed, etc.), so the more data that gets fed into a model, the better the model becomes. However, modern AI technologies do not really have cognitive capabilities and cannot reason their decisions the way humans do.
Q* is believed to be a significant breakthrough in the field of artificial general intelligence (AGI), an autonomous system that can reason its decisions and, therefore, compete with humans in various tasks or even disciplines. The capabilities of Q* are said to be particularly notable in solving mathematical problems, which are typically defined by singular correct answers, which indicates a significant progression in AI's reasoning and cognitive capabilities.
The AI model has demonstrated proficiency in tackling mathematical problems at a level comparable to elementary school students, which is quite significant. Such advancements suggest that Q* could have far-reaching implications and applications in various fields that require reasoning and decision-making.
However, the advent of Q* has also sparked concerns regarding the potential risks and ethical implications of such powerful AI technology. Researchers and scientists within the AI community have raised alarms about the dangers associated with rapidly advancing AI capabilities without fully understanding their impact. The development of Q* could have become a focal point in the ongoing discussion at OpenAI about the balance between AI innovation and responsible development.
As a result, several OpenAI researchers wrote a letter to the board, highlighting the discovery of an AI model they believed could pose a significant threat to humanity. This letter is said to be a crucial factor leading up to the board's decision to fire Altman, citing a lack of confidence in his leadership despite his contributions to the company and the field of generative AI. But then, a collective threat of resignation from over 700 employees, who showed solidarity with Altman and considered joining Microsoft, made the board change its mind about the ousted CEO.
OpenAI, when contacted by Reuters, acknowledged the existence of both project Q* and the letter. However, the company refrained from commenting on the specifics of the situation or the accuracy of the media reports.
