As you well know, yesterday Sam Altman resumed his role as CEO of the most significant artificial intelligence company, OpenAI. This return to power has been one of the most dramatic stories in the history of technology.
After the CEO drama at OpenAI concluded last week, a report dropped a major bombshell about the company’s latest work. OpenAI supposedly stumbled upon a significant breakthrough in AI called Q* (Q-Star) that could pose a threat to humanity.
The detail comes from a letter anonymous researchers at OpenAI sent to the board before Sam Altman’s dismissal. The newly discovered Q* algorithm might have been one of the key breakthroughs that led to Sam Altman’s dismissal.
Sam Altman responds to the rumors
Now that Altman is back as CEO of OpenAI, he addressed questions in an interview about those five days between his dismissal and rehiring.
Sam Altman avoided discussing the reasons for his dismissal by the board. However, Mira Murati, OpenAI’s CTO, stated that the recent events were unrelated to AI safety.
The issue of Q* inevitably surfaced, and Sam Altman somewhat acknowledged the letter mentioning it. He labeled the whole affair as an “unfortunate leak,” suggesting that the concerns expressed in the letter are indeed real.
Reuters was the first to report on the Q* algorithm just as OpenAI rehired Sam Altman. Although Reuters hadn’t seen the letter, they reported that Q* achieved something generative AI couldn’t reliably do: solving mathematical problems.
“Thanks to its immense computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems. The source asserts that although it’s only capable of solving math problems at the level of elementary school students, the success in these types of tests has researchers very optimistic about Q’s future prospects,” explained Reuters.
Indeed, this could mark a significant milestone in the development of more intelligent AI. It might even be one of the cornerstones of the first artificial intelligence that OpenAI is working on.
However, it’s all speculation at this point since the company hasn’t officially commented. Altman has only confirmed that Project Q* is real, without disclosing its nature or potential risks for humanity.
