Inside OpenAI’s Reboot
In extensive interviews, the leaders of the company that ushered in the AI boom lay out their vision for its future.
Protesters gathered outside OpenAI's offices in early August, holding signs that read "stop the AI race." Inside the company's new research building, executives and key customers were gathered to preview Astra, a new family of advanced AI models. CEO Sam Altman had just returned from a meeting with officials about Astra's capabilities.
Demonstrations showed Astra dividing complex math problems, navigating desktop software, and potentially inventing new knowledge. Altman expected Astra's biggest impact would be enabling "persistent agents" to work on tasks. The year had been challenging for OpenAI, which lost its lead in the AI race to Anthropic, a company founded by former OpenAI employees.
Anthropic had surpassed OpenAI in revenue and valuation, and was expected to go public soon. OpenAI faced setbacks, including leadership departures and lawsuits accusing the company of betraying its nonprofit mission. Despite the turmoil, OpenAI remains a highly valuable company with popular AI products and a large user base. However, recent events have soured the company's public image and raised concerns about public trust.
Written by urgent.news from Time's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
