Q Star Ai: A Threat to Humanity?

Exactly one year ago, ChatGPT was launched to the public, and since then, it has had a profound impact on the world. People found it difficult to believe that artificial intelligence software could be this powerful. The company that developed it, OpenAI, and its CEO, Sam Altman, have become symbols of the ongoing AI revolution. However, strange events have occurred at the company in the last few days. All of a sudden, the company’s board of directors fired Sam Altman! When other employees found out about this, they caused an uproar. Many people threatened to resign. Over the next four days, the CEO changed at OpenAI thrice. But the most shocking thing was that the root cause of this turmoil is said to have been a mysterious AI named Q-Star. Yes, you read it right.

A few days prior to Sam Altman’s dismissal, researchers from within the company wrote a letter to the board of directors. The letter served as a warning, disclosing the development of a highly potent AI that posed a potential threat to humanity. This AI not only excels in solving complex mathematical and scientific problems but also has the capability to predict future events to some extent. It is internally referred to as Q-Star. This article aims to delve into this mystery.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI):

Tom Cruise’s latest Mission Impossible film, “Dead Reckoning Part 1,” was released this year. If you remember, the main antagonist in the film was not a human but an Artificial Intelligence software named Entity. This entity was so powerful that it was omnipresent. It could manipulate humans however it wanted, and through mass surveillance, it could mathematically predict the future. However, predicting the future did not mean it could provide a 10-year or 15-year outlook. Instead, it could predict the future outcome for the next day or week in any particular situation. This AI was not just good at completing 2-3 specific tasks; it outperformed humans in nearly all tasks it undertook. This form of artificial intelligence is called artificial general intelligence (AGI).

AGI is a computer system capable of performing any job or task that a human can do, but better. The famous AI software present today, such as language learning models like ChatGPT or generative AI tools like MidJourney, are classified into the category of Weak AI because they excel in specific tasks. They execute the tasks for which they were trained better than humans but specialize in only those tasks. At this point in time, Strong AIs like AGI do not exist.

OpenAI Establishment:

OpenAI was established as a non-profit organization in 2015 with the singular mission of developing an Artificial General Intelligence or AGI for the benefit of humanity.

The company’s website clearly outlines its mission: “to ensure that Artificial General Intelligence benefits all of humanity.”

Prominent tech entrepreneurs, including Sam Altman and Elon Musk, created this company. There were ten co-founding members of OpenAI in total. The current Chief Scientist, Ilya Sutskever, and the President of OpenAI, Greg Brockman, were also included. Remember these names because they play a crucial role in this saga. All co-founders collectively pledged $1 billion to OpenAI.

Members of OpenAI:

In 2019, four years after its incorporation, Sam Altman assumed the CEO role. Four years later, on November 17, 2023, the board of directors unexpectedly fired Sam. In case you don’t know, friends, there is often a Board of Directors in large corporations. In most cases, they can appoint or dismiss the CEO. As per the rules, it is normal for the Board to have this authority. OpenAI’s Board comprised six members in this case, and I have already named three of them. Sam, Ilya, Greg, and three independent executives: Adam, the CEO of Quora, Tasha McCauley, a Tech Entrepreneur, and Helen Toner. Decisions are typically made through majority voting, and Sam obviously wouldn’t fire himself in this scenario. So, only five directors remain. Apart from firing Sam, the board of directors dismissed Greg, too.

This suggests that Greg likely did not vote against Sam. With only four individuals remaining, namely Ilya, Adam, Tasha, and Helen, they informed Sam of their decision to fire him via a Google Meet call. The public was not provided with much information about the reason behind this. The board vaguely mentioned issues with Sam’s communication and hinted that he may have been concealing information. After their termination, neither Sam nor Greg issued statements explaining the circumstances. Sam expressed his disappointment on Twitter. This was a shocking decision in the tech world – the abrupt firing of such a powerful and influential CEO by four members of the Board.

OpenAI Profit OR Non-Profit Company:

As mentioned earlier, OpenAI was initially established as a unique and important non-profit company. This is because other popular companies in Silicon Valley, such as Facebook, Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Apple, develop products and sell their services to earn money, operating primarily to make profits. OpenAI, on the other hand, had a primary objective of developing an AGI for the benefit of humanity, making it more of a research facility. Its charter outlined that the company’s duty is towards humanity, neither towards its investors nor its employees.

However, this non-profit model was short-lived. In 2019, when Sam Altman assumed the role of CEO, OpenAI introduced a for-profit subsidiary named OpenAI Global LLC. This subsidiary operates on a capped profits model, earning profits with a limit. The return on investment for investors investing in this for-profit company would be limited to 100 times the initial investment. Any excess profits earned by this company would be directed back to the non-profit parent company.

Microsoft Investment:

In 2019, OpenAI’s for-profit subsidiary secured its first funding from Microsoft. Microsoft’s monumental $1 billion investment was followed by the subsidiary’s widespread recognition, which enabled it to successfully attract $13 billion in investments over the following four years. Microsoft reportedly holds a 49% stake in OpenAI’s for-profit arm. Before delving into Microsoft’s involvement, it’s crucial to understand that while establishing a for-profit subsidiary, it was asserted that the non-profit main company, OpenAI, would maintain primary control of this subsidiary. However, these conflicting arguments raise a major question: how should the balance between for-profit and non-profit activities be struck? Furthermore, once AGI is developed, how much of it should be commercialized, and how much should be designated as non-profit?

If profit is prioritized in all aspects, it would harm the world. This has been exemplified by Facebook, whose algorithms prioritized profit over users’ well-being, leading to mental health issues, addiction among users, and the spread of hate speech on the platform, causing riots around the world. According to leaked documents obtained by the Associated Press, Facebook has been selective in curbing hate speech, misinformation, and inflammatory posts in India. Two years ago, an expose named the Facebook Papers revealed this issue. Some people are concerned that AI could potentially follow the same path.

A letter written to the Board of OpenAi:

Before Sam was fired, some insiders revealed that researchers working at OpenAI had written a letter to the Board of OpenAI expressing their concerns about Q Star, the AI they are developing, which could be a significant step towards achieving AGI. However, they were worried about the potential of Q-Star. The exact capabilities of Q-Star are only known to those researchers and employees within the company. But conceptually, Q-Learning is an AI concept that falls within reinforcement learning, an AI training approach. This technique involves AI learning through human feedback, continually improving its understanding of the environment and decision-making.

Q Star Ai:

Now, returning to Q Star, it is named after a Q-value function, denoted as Q(S, A), where S represents the state and A signifies the action. Q* is a function that encapsulates the most optimal point. To illustrate, consider a game of chess. Imagine your chess piece occupying a specific square on the board; its position would be termed state S. The subsequent move you intend to make in chess would be referred to as action A. Its Q-value function would predict all possible scenarios, i.e., all the potential outcomes for every possible move you could make. Following a thorough analysis, the function identifies the best possible move based on your current position.

What can this Q Star Ai do?

This best and most optimal move derived by the Q-value function is termed Q-star in mathematical language. This would be the best move for you to play in this chess game. I used the chessboard as an example, but the same can be done with anything. Picture driving on a highway where AI can predict the speeds and driving styles of surrounding cars. By analyzing these factors, it can forecast how these cars move in the next few seconds, based on which it might provide you with the most effective driving instruction.

Similarly, envision Q Star AI analyzing every possible scenario before an election, predicting potential outcomes. If OpenAI’s mysterious Q Star Ai possesses such capabilities, it has the potential to make significant predictions about the future. Things in the Mission Impossible film might just be possible: predicting human thought patterns and analyzing all possible decisions in any given moment, accurately predicting how a certain person might make decisions in specific situations.

From business dealings to political moves, this Q Star AI has the potential to influence everything. While humans can do this to some extent, AGI can surpass human capabilities since humans have biases and emotions. We make decisions based on our emotions, but the AI would make predictions solely based on mathematics. In a chess game, for instance, this AI can provide the most optimal move after evaluating all possible moves. This AI has the ability to make the most precise predictions.

ChatGPT and Q Star Ai:

ChatGPT is proficient in writing and translating languages by predicting the next word. However, if Q-value learning is integrated into this AI, its capabilities will be enhanced to answer any query best. There are some speculations about the elusive Q Star AI. Only the people working in OpenAI know its progress and how close it is to becoming an AGI. People who expressed apprehension about Q* were afraid of the direction OpenAI was taking. They were concerned that the benefits and harms to humanity might not be balanced. Even though the board of directors gave a vague reason for Sam’s dismissal, the crux of the issue was conflicting ideologies. On one hand, there’s the for-profit group promoting commercialization.

Conversely, the non-profit group is more concerned about the potential threats. Which of these ideologies is right? That is an ongoing debate. Advocates for for-profit argue that substantial funds are necessary for better technological advancement from investors, without which it won’t be possible to succeed. On the other hand, non-profit supporters express concerns that a profit-driven approach could compromise the original mission and pose significant risks to humanity. A few days before this controversy began, Microsoft’s President, Brad Smith, said this at a conference on 10th November:

“Which would you have more confidence in? Getting your technology from a non-profit or a for-profit company entirely controlled by one human being?”

Here, he was indirectly talking about Mark Zuckerberg. However, the intricate balance between both sides in OpenAI deteriorated for some time.

ChatGPT+:

In February 2023, ChatGPT+ was introduced as the first paid version, followed by the launch of an API (Application Programming Interface) on March 1st, allowing other companies to integrate ChatGPT into their systems. On March 14th, GPT-4 was unveiled. Employees noted a shift towards hyper-commercialization in the preceding months, creating a divide between the two factions. After ChatGPT’s release, the path to revenue and profits became evident. They couldn’t continue being an idealistic research lab. They had customers and had to serve those customers. In October 2023, OpenAI introduced its advanced image generator, DALL-E3, integrating it with the paid versions of ChatGPT.

First Developer Conference of OpenAI:

Subsequently, on November 6th, the company hosted its first developer conference,

“Welcome to our first-ever OpenAI Dev Day. Today, about 2 million developers are building on our APIs for various use cases, doing amazing stuff…”

During this conference, Sam delivered a presentation reminiscent of those from Apple or Google, announcing the capability to create custom-built models of ChatGPT. They were referred to as the GPTs. This shift expanded from a singular ChatGPT to numerous customized GPTs. We’ll talk about this in greater detail in the course update. But here, with the increasing commercialization, on one side were Sam and President Greg advocating for and encouraging commercialization, while on the other side, Chief Scientist Ilya and others were uncomfortable. A strong commitment to AI safety drove Ilya. At one point, he had told his employees that he was worried about AGI systems treating humans similarly to how humans treat animals today.

Ilya Sutskever:

According to Ilya, AGI is not a distant prospect, and we will see AGI in action in the near future. Therefore, we need to be prepared for it. “More and more people see what AI can do and where it is headed. Then it will become clear how much trepidation is appropriate.”

In July, OpenAI announced the formation of a super-alignment team dedicated to AI safety techniques led by Ilya. The company allocates 20% of its computer chips exclusively, emphasizing safety and AI alignment. By August-September, a clear dichotomy emerged between two distinct factions within OpenAI. One faction, led by Sam, was focusing on upcoming launches, and the next big thing, talking about GPT-5.

The other faction, led by Ilya, concentrated on enhancing AI safety within the company, outlining necessary precautions. While Sam pursued raising billions in investment for accelerated development, the other four members of the Board of Directions in OpenAI were leaning towards Ilya’s more conservative approach. Upon receiving the letter about developing the powerful Q Star Ai, the board recognized the potential benefits of removing the for-profit section from the company.

Interim CEO of OpenAI: Mira Murati

Following Sam’s dismissal, the board swiftly appointed Mirra Murati as the interim CEO on November 17th. However, by the morning of November 19th, a stir ensued among the company’s employees, with a significant majority supporting Sam. Microsoft found itself in a delicate situation, holding a 49% stake in the for-profit subsidiary, so they didn’t want the disintegration of the company. Microsoft started pressuring the Board to reinstate Sam as the CEO. Negotiations between the board and Sam took place on November 19th, when Sam had to use a guest pass to enter the OpenAI office, fueling speculation that he might be back as the CEO. But that didn’t happen.

The New CEO of OpenAI:

The next day, OpenAI announced that ex-CEO of Twitch, Emmett Shear, was the new CEO of OpenAI. On the same day, Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, announced the creation of a new advanced AI research team at Microsoft, led by Sam and Greg. Satya Nadella’s move catapulted Microsoft’s stock price to a record high. People wondered how OpenAI’s new CEO, Emmett Shear, would react. Amidst the uncertainty, news broke that 743 of the company’s 770 employees wrote a letter threatening resignation if Sam and Greg weren’t reinstated. Over 90% of the workforce threatened to resign.

Mira Murati, the interim CEO, was the first to sign the letter. This was followed by a wave of tweets from employees emphasizing that “OpenAI is nothing without its people.” And that’s true. If the company’s CEO is fired and 90% of the employees leave, the company becomes worthless. Then came the biggest twist in this story. Ilya signed the letter and posted this tweet. He realized that the company’s survival is crucial for implementing safety precautions. As a result, three co-founders, Sam, Ilya, and Greg, united. However, the three independent board members remained steadfast. Adding to the complexity, the new CEO, Emmett, also threatened to resign, demanding clarity on the reasons behind Sam’s termination. In the aftermath of these events, it became evident that there was no alternative. Consequently, on November 21st, Sam was reinstated as the CEO of OpenAI.

Sam Returned as CEO of OpenAI: 21st November 2023

According to the Latest News, Sam Altman returns as CEO, OpenAI has a new initial board. Mira Murati as CTO, Greg Brockman returns as President.

Sam Message to the Company:

I am returning to OpenAI as CEO. Mira will return to her role as CTO. The new initial board will consist of Bret Taylor (Chair), Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo.

Sam Altman Tweet:

Ultimately, the three independent directors were powerless against the company’s CEO, co-founders, and employees. After Sam was reinstated, 2 of these 3 board members were fired. Leaving only Adam D’Angelo. Both board members who left were women, and two new members joined the board: Brett Taylor, former co-CEO of Salesforce, and Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury. The new board’s initial task is to appoint a larger board with nine members.

Sam posted a tweet stating,

“I love OpenAI, and everything I’ve done in the past few days has been in service of keeping this team and its mission together. When I decided to join Microsoft…, it was clear that was the best path for me… (But) I look forward to returning to OpenAI with the new Board and Satya’s support…”

From Satya Nadella’s perspective, Microsoft stood to benefit in this situation regardless of the outcome. Even if OpenAI couldn’t survive as a company, a new department created in Microsoft would have absorbed almost all the employees, CEO, and co-founders of OpenAI. They could have continued with their projects without any issues. But now that OpenAI has survived this turmoil, they have an established partnership with Microsoft, and Microsoft will continue to benefit.

Satya Nadella tweeted, “We are encouraged by the changes to the OpenAI board.”

To Conclude:

This essential step is crucial to achieving stable, well-informed, and effective governance. There are expectations that Satya Nadella might join OpenAI’s board. While the company is secure, the question remains: will OpenAI lean more towards a for-profit approach or maintain its non-profit values? And how would this impact the development of AGI? Only time can provide the answers. One certain thing is that AI is here to stay. Artificial Intelligence has become an integral part of our world, and the sooner you adapt to using it, the easier it will be for you to stay ahead in this rapidly changing world.

Here is an article about Effects of Artificial Intelligence (AI)