Sources: OpenAI researchers warned of the discovery of artificial intelligence that may threaten humanity

Two informed sources told Reuters that before the Sam Altman crisis and his temporary departure from his position as CEO of OpenAI, a number of researchers wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful discovery of artificial intelligence, which they said could threaten humanity.

The two sources said the letter, which had not been previously reported, and the AI ​​algorithm were key developments before the board ousted Altman, whose name was associated with the generative AI ecosystem.

Sources pointed to the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances made by the board that led to Altman’s dismissal, including concerns about pre-marketing before understanding the consequences.

Reuters was not able to access a copy of the letter. The employees who wrote the letter did not respond to requests for comment.

After being contacted by Reuters, OpenAI, which declined to comment, acknowledged in an internal letter to employees a project called Q* and a letter to the board before the weekend’s events, one of the people said.

A breakthrough in artificial intelligence

Some at OpenAI believe that “Q*” (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startup’s research into what is known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters.

OpenAI defines artificial general intelligence as autonomous systems that outperform humans at most economically valuable tasks.

Given the vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve specific mathematical problems, according to the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity; Because he is not authorized to speak on behalf of the company.

The source said that although there is talk of performing mathematics only at the level of primary school students, passing such tests has made researchers very optimistic about the success of Q* in the future.

Researchers consider mathematics as a frontier for the development of generative artificial intelligence. It should be noted that generative AI, currently, is good at writing and translating language by statistically predicting the next word, and answers to the same question can vary widely.

But achieving the ability to perform math problems – where there is only one correct answer – means that AI will have greater reasoning capabilities similar to human intelligence.

AI researchers believe this can be applied to new scientific research.

Unlike a calculator, which can solve a limited number of mathematical operations, artificial general intelligence (AGI) can generalize, learn and understand.

The danger of artificial intelligence

In their letter to the board, the researchers cited the versatility of artificial intelligence and its potential danger, the sources said without specifying the exact safety concerns mentioned in the letter.

There has long been debate among computer scientists about the danger posed by highly intelligent machines, for example if they decide it is in their interest to destroy humanity.