Threat to humanity: The mystery letter that may have sparked the OpenAI chaos

Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers sent the board of directors a letter warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The previously unreported letter and AI algorithm were the catalyst that caused the board to oust Altman, the poster child of generative AI, the two sources said. Before his triumphant return, more than 700 employees had threatened to quit and join backer Microsoft in solidarity with their fired leader.

OpenAI chief technology officer Mira Murati with Altman. Credit: AP

The sources cited the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances by the board that led to Altman’s firing. Reuters was unable to review a copy of the letter. The researchers who wrote the letter did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

OpenAI declined to comment.

According to one of the sources, long-time executive Mira Murati told employees on Wednesday (US time) that a letter about the AI breakthrough called Q* (pronounced q star) precipitated the board’s actions.

The maker of ChatGPT had made progress on Q*, which some internally believe could be a breakthrough in the start-up’s search for superintelligence, also known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as AI systems that are smarter than humans.

Given vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems, the person said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on behalf of the company. Though only performing maths on the level of grade-school students, acing such tests made researchers very optimistic about Q*’s future success, the source said. Reuters could not independently verify the capabilities of Q* claimed by the researchers.

The development continues a tumultuous week for the company, which started with the ousting of Altman.

His dramatic return drew comparisons in Silicon Valley lore to Steve Jobs, Apple’s former CEO, who left the computer maker in a 1985 power struggle only to return 12 years later.

Altman took back the CEO mantle after four days.

His departure triggered a major upheaval at OpenAI, with president Greg Brockman quitting in protest. By Sunday, Altman was back at OpenAI’s offices expecting his swift reappointment, when the board surprised again by naming former Twitch boss Emmett Shear as interim CEO.

In a post on X on Tuesday, Shear said he worked “~72 very intense hours” to bring stability – and ultimately Altman – back to OpenAI. “This was the pathway that maximised safety alongside doing right by all stakeholders involved,” he said.

Altman’s masterstroke was made possible in part by Microsoft. When he was out of a job, CEO Nadella said Altman could head a new research team alongside Brockman and other colleagues departing OpenAI.

By Monday, nearly all of OpenAI’s over 700-strong staff had threatened to leave and join Microsoft’s effort unless the board stepped down and reinstated Altman, according to a letter reviewed by Reuters.

This threat was backed by Microsoft’s vast computing power, the key asset driving OpenAI’s technology along with its staff of computer scientists.

Co-founder and president Brockman celebrated with a staff selfie late on Tuesday night, having beaten the US Thanksgiving holiday deadline against which parties raced to negotiate.

“We will come back stronger and more unified than ever,” he said.

Reuters

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