The tech world is abuzz with whispers of a groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) system that sounds like it’s straight out of a sci-fi thriller.
At the center of these rumors is Sam Altman, CEO of the company responsible for ChatGPT, OpenAI.
In a recent interview with The Verge, Altman appeared to acknowledge the existence of the top-secret AI project, codenamed Q* (pronounced 'Q star').
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Q* is rumored to be the next step towards creating artificial general intelligence (AGI) - AI that is clever enough to solve problems even better than a human can.
The revelation has come amid some juicy gossip around the 'real reasons' behind Altman’s firing from OpenAI.
At the end of November, Altman was briefly fired from OpenAI, then hired by the company's major investor Microsoft, and then rehired again by OpenAI. This rapid sequence of events coincided with reports of the development of Q* and its potential ‘doomsday’ implications.
The Q* tech, which is thought to be a highly advanced AI system, is reportedly able to ace math exams and perform critical thinking tasks - feats that current AI models are hit and miss with.
While the real reasons behind Altman's explosive firing and rehiring are still unknown, rumors have been swirling - with some saying that OpenAI employees expressed concerns about the potential dangers and ethical implications of such a powerful AI.
That's why Altman's most recent interview has raised a few eyebrows.
Despite having the opportunity to deny the Q* existed, he instead referred to it as an "unfortunate leak" - only fueling further speculation about the project's capabilities.
“No particular comment on that unfortunate leak,” he said.
“But what we have been saying - two weeks ago, what we are saying today, what we were 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.”
Altman’s response, or lack thereof, has only intensified the intrigue surrounding the potentially dangerous AI platform, leaving us more questions than answers.
The worry is that if this kind of AGI is achieved, it might view humans as a potential threat, leading to a scenario where technology becomes more powerful and intelligent than humans can contend with.
For now, though, AI will continue to be used as another means of giving us something to laugh at - such as creating what Europeans think of Americans from each state look like.