Before OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s temporary exit, a group of staff researchers sent a letter to the board of directors, warning against a major artificial intelligence discovery that could pose a threat to humanity, Reuters reported on Thursday (November 23) citing two sources familiar with the situation.
This previously undisclosed letter, along with the AI algorithm it referred to, played a role in the board’s decision to remove Altman, known for his association with generative AI.
More than 700 employees had threatened to resign and join Microsoft in solidarity with Altman, their dismissed leader.
The sources mentioned the letter as one element in a broader set of concerns by the board that contributed to Altman’s dismissal, Reuters reported, stating that it was unable to access a copy of the letter, and the researchers who wrote it did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
According to the report, one of the sources said that long-time executive Mira Murati informed the OpenAI employees on Wednesday that the said letter about the AI breakthrough called Q* (pronounced Q-Star), triggered the board’s move.
The progress made with Q* in the startup’s work for developing superintelligence, also known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), which OpenAI defines as AI systems that are more intelligent than human beings.
With extensive computing resources at its disposal, the new model showed the ability to solve specific mathematical problems, Reuters reported, quoting an anonymous source.
While the model’s mathematical proficiency was comparable to that of grade-school students, its success in acting on such tests has left researchers highly optimistic about the future potential of Q*.
