A letter from staff researchers at OpenAI about a significant AI discovery led to the dismissal of CEO Sam Altman, according to Reuters, but the development has reportedly been denied by an OpenAI spokesperson.
What Happened: X CEO, Elon Musk, called the report “Extremely concerning!” in a post on the platform on Wednesday.
As reported by Reuters, the staff letter to the board described an AI breakthrough named Q*, which seemingly played a role in Altman’s interim removal. This revelation was alarming enough for over 700 employees to consider leaving for Microsoft.
The board members pointed to the letter among several reasons for Altman’s termination. Despite efforts, the exact contents of the letter remain undisclosed.
The Verge Editor Alex Health said that he has heard from “multiple sources” including an OpenAI spokesperson that the Reuters report “was not true.”
Why It Matters: As per Reuters’ sources, Q* is a significant leap in OpenAI’s pursuit of artificial general intelligence (AGI), an AI system more intelligent than humans. Given enough computing resources, the model has demonstrated the ability to solve certain mathematical problems, raising hopes for its potential. OpenAI has declined to comment on the matter to Reuters.
This event follows the surprising removal of Altman and co-founder Greg Brockman from OpenAI, as reported earlier. Brockman, although removed from the president’s role, continued as an employee, reporting directly to the then interim CEO and current CTO, Mira Murati.
Altman is set to return as OpenAI‘s CEO, with a new board collaborating to iron out the specifics of his return, according to a recent update. This new board will be chaired by Bret Taylor, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo, the only continuing OpenAI board member.
In April, Musk called for a pause in the development of advanced AI and at the time signed a letter from the Future of Life Institute titled “Pause Giant AI Experiments: An Open Letter.” Altman had responded by saying, “The letter, I don’t think, was the optimal way to address it.”
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Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to include comments from Alex Heath
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