Sam Altman, Reuters screenshot
OpenAI, known for pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence, has found itself in the spotlight again due to its secretive project known as Q*. While the details surrounding Q* (pronounced Q-star) remain shrouded in mystery, recent reports suggest that it holds the potential to revolutionize AI capabilities.
Sam Altman, the recently re-instated CEO of OpenAI, is usually tight-lipped but he seems to have confirmed the Q* breakthrough in an interview with The Verge.
Q* is an internal project within OpenAI focusing on the application of artificial intelligence in logical and mathematical reasoning. Recent reports have hinted at Q*’s ability to solve complex mathematical problems, this has sparked concern within the AI community.
Though Q* remains veiled in secrecy, clues suggest that it could be related to OpenAI’s efforts to improve the logical reasoning abilities of large language models (LLMs).
The emergence of projects like Q* has reignited the debate over AI’s potential existential risks. Some argue that AI, when combined with other advanced technologies, could pose catastrophic threats, The Wall Street Journal reported. Others contend that the focus should be on the responsible implementation of AI in our daily lives and addressing immediate concerns such as misinformation and bias amplification.
When asked by The Verge about Q*, Altman answered, “No particular comment on that unfortunate leak. But what we have been saying — two weeks ago, what we are saying today, what we’ve been saying a year ago, what we were saying earlier on — is that we expect progress in this technology to continue to be rapid and also that we expect to continue to work very hard to figure out how to make it safe and beneficial. That’s why we got up every day before. That’s why we will get up every day in the future. I think we have been extraordinarily consistent on that.”
He added, “Without commenting on any specific thing or project or whatever, we believe that progress is research. You can always hit a wall, but we expect that progress will continue to be significant. And we want to engage with the world about that and figure out how to make this as good as we possibly can.
Wired magazine called the Q* “shadowy.”
According to Reuters, there were reports of certain researchers sending a letter to the nonprofit board expressing apprehensions regarding the potential capabilities of Q*, Wired reported.
Sam Altman, Reuters screenshot, https://www.reuters.com/technology/sam-altman-return-openai-ceo-2023-11-22/
