OpenAI's Breakthrough: Nearing AI Systems with Reasoning Capabilities

OpenAI reportedly nears breakthrough with "reasoning" AI, reveals progress framework

Under new classification, Level 2 AI can perform "human-level problem solving." OpenAI recently unveiled a five-tier system to gauge its advancement toward developing artificial general intelligence (AGI), according to an OpenAI spokesperson who spoke with Bloomberg. The company shared this new classification system on Tuesday with employees during an all-hands meeting, aiming to provide a clear framework for understanding AI advancement. However, the system describes hypothetical technology that does not yet exist and is possibly best interpreted as a marketing move to garner investment dollars. Further Reading OpenAI has previously stated that AGI -- a nebulous term for a hypothetical concept that means an AI system that can perform novel tasks like a human without specialized training -- is currently the primary goal of the company. The pursuit of technology that can replace humans at most intellectual work drives most of the enduring hype over the firm, even though such a technology would likely be wildly disruptive to society. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously stated his belief that AGI could be achieved within this decade, and a large part of the CEO's public messaging has been related to how the company (and society in general) might handle the disruption that AGI may bring. Along those lines, a ranking system to communicate AI milestones achieved internally on the path to AGI makes sense. OpenAI's five levels -- which it plans to share with investors -- range from current AI capabilities to systems that could potentially manage entire organizations. The company believes its technology (such as GPT-4o that powers ChatGPT) currently sits at Level 1, which encompasses AI that can engage in conversational interactions. However, OpenAI executives reportedly told staff they're on the verge of reaching Level 2, dubbed "Reasoners." Bloomberg lists OpenAI's five "Stages of Artificial Intelligence" as follows: Level 1: Chatbots, AI with conversational language Level 2: Reasoners, human-level problem solving Level 3: Agents, systems that can take actions Level 4: Innovators, AI that can aid in invention Level 5: Organizations, AI that can do the work of an organization A Level 2 AI system would reportedly be capable of basic problem-solving on par with a human who holds a doctorate degree but lacks access to external tools. During the all-hands meeting, OpenAI leadership reportedly demonstrated a research project using their GPT-4 model that the researchers believe shows signs of approaching this human-like reasoning ability, according to someone familiar with the discussion who spoke with Bloomberg. The upper levels of OpenAI's classification describe increasingly potent hypothetical AI capabilities. Level 3 "Agents" could work autonomously on tasks for days. Level 4 systems would generate novel innovations. The pinnacle, Level 5, envisions AI managing entire organizations. This classification system is still a work in progress. OpenAI plans to gather feedback from employees, investors, and board members, potentially refining the levels over time. Ars Technica asked OpenAI about the ranking system and the accuracy of the Bloomberg report, and a company spokesperson said they had "nothing to add." The problem with ranking AI capabilities OpenAI isn't alone in attempting to quantify levels of AI capabilities. As Bloomberg notes, OpenAI's system feels similar to levels of autonomous driving mapped out by automakers. And in November 2023, researchers at Google DeepMind proposed their own five-level framework for assessing AI advancement, showing that other AI labs have also been trying to figure out how to rank things that don't yet exist. Further Reading OpenAI's classification system also somewhat resembles Anthropic's "AI Safety Levels" (ASLs) first published by the maker of the Claude AI assistant in September 2023. Both systems aim to categorize AI capabilities, though they focus on different aspects. Anthropic's ASLs are more explicitly focused on safety and catastrophic risks (such as ASL-2, which refers to "systems that show early signs of dangerous capabilities"), while OpenAI's levels track general capabilities. However, any AI classification system raises questions about whether it's possible to meaningfully quantify AI progress and what constitutes an advancement (or even what constitutes a "dangerous" AI system, as in the case of Anthropic). The tech industry so far has a history of overpromising AI capabilities, and linear progression models like OpenAI's potentially risk fueling unrealistic expectations. There is currently no consensus in the AI research community on how to measure progress toward AGI or even if AGI is a well-defined or achievable goal. As such, OpenAI's five-tier system should likely be viewed as a communications tool to entice investors that shows the company's aspirational goals rather than a scientific or even technical measurement of progress.

OpenAI is reportedly nearing AI systems that can reason. Here's why that could be a cause for concern. | Business Insider India

The company told employees it was nearing AI systems that could reason, Bloomberg reported. OpenAI has a new scale to mark its progress toward artificial general intelligence, or AGI. According to a Bloomberg report, the company behind ChatGPT shared the new five-level classification system with employees at an all-hands meeting on Tuesday. The scale ranked AI systems by levels of intelligence, from chatbots at level one, to AI systems that could do the work of entire organizations at level five. Execs reportedly told staffers they believed OpenAI was at level one, defined as AI with conversational language skills, but was nearing level two, identified as "reasoners" with human-level problem-solving. Progress to the next level is a sign that OpenAI chief Sam Altman is inching closer to his stated ambition of creating AGI, or AI systems that can match or surpass human capabilities across a wide range of cognitive tasks. It's a mission that has turned into a high-stakes race against competitors since the launch of ChatGPT, as billions of dollars of investment have poured into companies vying to reach the same goal first. Altman has said he expects major progress toward AGI will be achieved by the end of the decade. John Burden, a research fellow at the University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, told Business Insider the jump from existing systems to those that could reason would be "very significant." "If we do get some AI systems that can reason soon, I cannot understate how big of a deal that would be -- we're talking about systems that would be able to come to conclusions that we don't like," he said. Burden added developing AI systems to this level runs the risk of the machines "reasoning past us," something that could have consequences for the workforce. "If these systems can reason as well as humans, they're probably going to be a lot cheaper than humans to keep employed," he said. An OpenAI representative told Bloomberg the scale also included "Agent" and "Innovator" levels, which classified AI systems by their ability to take action and aid in invention. However, the validity of the scale itself is also up for debate. Burden said the tech industry still appeared to be hovering at level one, which covers the chatbots now available. He added that the jump from the second level to three and five was "essentially trivial." "Whatever Sam Altman wants to say to generate hype, we're still just at level one," he said. "We've got AI systems that appear to do a tiny bit of reasoning, but it's not clear if it's just a mirage." It's also unclear whether the top end of the scale is even possible. "The top level of the scale, where an AI that can do the work of an organization, requires many other human skills beyond just reasoning," Hannah Kirk, an AI researcher at the University of Oxford, told BI. "The ability to coordinate, not just reason, is incredibly important to move you up these levels," she said. "There's going to be many more elements of coordination, or more social intelligence aspects that are very important to moving up these levels beyond just cognitive intelligence." Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

OpenAI is reportedly nearing AI systems that can reason. Here's why that could be a cause for concern.

This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? Log in. Execs reportedly told staffers they believed OpenAI was at level one, defined as AI with conversational language skills, but was nearing level two, identified as "reasoners" with human-level problem-solving. Progress to the next level is a sign that OpenAI chief Sam Altman is inching closer to his stated ambition of creating AGI, or AI systems that can match or surpass human capabilities across a wide range of cognitive tasks. It's a mission that has turned into a high-stakes race against competitors since the launch of ChatGPT, as billions of dollars of investment have poured into companies vying to reach the same goal first. Altman has said he expects major progress toward AGI will be achieved by the end of the decade. John Burden, a research fellow at the University of Cambridge's Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, told Business Insider the jump from existing systems to those that could reason would be "very significant." "If we do get some AI systems that can reason soon, I cannot understate how big of a deal that would be -- we're talking about systems that would be able to come to conclusions that we don't like," he said. Burden added developing AI systems to this level runs the risk of the machines "reasoning past us," something that could have consequences for the workforce. "If these systems can reason as well as humans, they're probably going to be a lot cheaper than humans to keep employed," he said. An OpenAI representative told Bloomberg the scale also included "Agent" and "Innovator" levels, which classified AI systems by their ability to take action and aid in invention. However, the validity of the scale itself is also up for debate. Burden said the tech industry still appeared to be hovering at level one, which covers the chatbots now available. He added that the jump from the second level to three and five was "essentially trivial." "Whatever Sam Altman wants to say to generate hype, we're still just at level one," he said. "We've got AI systems that appear to do a tiny bit of reasoning, but it's not clear if it's just a mirage." It's also unclear whether the top end of the scale is even possible. "The top level of the scale, where an AI that can do the work of an organization, requires many other human skills beyond just reasoning," Hannah Kirk, an AI researcher at the University of Oxford, told BI. "The ability to coordinate, not just reason, is incredibly important to move you up these levels," she said. "There's going to be many more elements of coordination, or more social intelligence aspects that are very important to moving up these levels beyond just cognitive intelligence." Representatives for OpenAI did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

OpenAI has 5 steps to AGI -- and we're only a third of the way there

OpenAI has quickly become one of the most important AI companies, with models used by both Apple and Microsoft and its own productivity platform in ChatGPT with millions of monthly subscribers. But the company says its goal is still to build an AI superintelligence. Using models like GPT-4o or even Claude 3.5 Sonnet, you'd be forgiven for thinking we're getting close to reaching the initial goal of 'Artificial General Intelligence', but a new report on OpenAI's efforts from Bloomberg suggests we're still some way off creating AGI. According to Bloomberg's unnamed sources, OpenAI has 5 steps to reach AGI and we're only just moving towards step two -- the creation of "reasoners". These are models capable of performing problem-solving tasks as well as a human with a PhD and no access to a textbook. OpenAI CTO Mira Murati has previously stated the next generation model, widely suspected to be called GPT-5, will be as intelligent as someone with a doctorate across a broad range of topics, but that we're unlikely to see that next model until sometime next year. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is a form of AI that can perform better than humans across every task. They have a broad, general understanding of the world and can do a degree of thinking and reasoning for themselves, allowing for real-world actions unsupervised. This degree of intelligence is thought to be required for general-purpose use cases such as true driverless vehicles, autonomous robots that can work in a range of environments without prompting and AI models that can act as personal assistants and even colleagues. All of the big AI labs including Anthropic, OpenAI and Google DeepMind have been creating AGI as their primary goal, and the products they are releasing are just steps on that path. OpenAI hasn't confirmed these are genuine but if true, and comments from Murati and others suggest it might be, the next step after reasoners is the creation of agents -- AI models capable of performing a range of tasks across different domains without human input. The first of the five levels is for "Chatbots," or "AI with conversational language". This was achieved with GPT-3.5 in the first version of ChatGPT and was largely possible even before that, just not as effectively or with as much of a natural conversation. Compare having a conversation with Siri or Alexa to that of ChatGPT or Gemini -- it is night and day and this is because the latter is a conversational AI. Large natively multimodal models like GPT-4o, Gemini Pro 1.5 or Claude Sonnet 3.5 are at the top end of this level and are the first of the 'frontier' grade AIs. They are capable of complex, multi-threaded conversations, have memory and can do some limited reasoning. Level 2 AIs are the reasoners. OpenAI says these are capable of "human-level problem solving," across a broad range of areas, not specific to one or two tasks. Many of the frontier models have human-level problem-solving on specific tasks, but none have achieved that on a general, broad level without very specific prompting and data input. In the same way that GPT-3.5 was at the start of level 1, the start of level 2 could be achieved this year with the mid-tier models. OpenAI is expected to release GPT-4.5 (or something along those lines) by the end of the year and with it improvements in reasoning. Meanwhile, Anthropic is expected to launch Claude Opus 3.5 in the coming months -- this is the big brother to the impressive Claude 3.5 Sonnet and we're still waiting on Google's Gemini Ultra 1.5. This is the largest version of the Gemini model family. Level 3 is when the AI models begin to develop the ability to create content or perform actions without human input, or at least at the general direction of humans. Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO has previously hinted that GPT-5 might be an agent-based AI system. There are a number of companies building agentic systems including Devin, the AI software engineer from Cognition, but these use existing models, clever prompting and set instructions rather than being something the AI can do natively on its own. Level 4 is where the AI becomes more innovative and capable of "aiding in invention". This could be where AI adds to the sum of human knowledge rather than simply draws from what has already been created or shared. If you ask an AI to create a new language, without giving it specific words it will give you a version of Esperanto today, in the future, it could build it from scratch. OpenAI has a new partnership with the Los Alamos National Laboratory to develop AI-based bioscience research. This is more immediate in the fact they want to create safe ways to use AI in a lab setting, but will also likely help formulate plans for when AI can invent its own creations. The final stage, and the point where AGI can be said to be reached is when an AI model is capable of running an entire organization on its own without human input. To achieve this level of capability it needs to have all the abilities and skills of the previous stages plus broad intelligence. To run an organization it would need to be able to understand all the independent parts and how they work together. Altman has previously said we could achieve AGI this decade. If he's correct then instead of voting for an octogenarian in 2028 we might be bowing down to Skynet.

Oops, where did AGI go?

OpenAI's founding mission is to "ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity." And the company defined AGI as an autonomous system that "outperforms humans at most economically valuable work." From this, you might assume that the company has to, at some point, at least try to, um, actually develop AGI. Yesterday Bloomberg reported that OpenAI has come up with a five-tiered classification system to track its progress towards AGI. On the one hand, the formulation of these five tiers might make it appear that Sam Altman & Co. are charging ahead towards AGI in a systematic, metrics-based fashion. An OpenAI spokesperson said that the tiers, which the company shared with employees at an all-hands meeting, range from the kinds of conversational chatbots available today (Level 1) to AI that can do the work of an entire organization (Level 5). In between, Level 2 tackles human-level problem solving; Level 3 is all about agents, where systems can take actions; and Level 4 moves to AI that can aid in invention. The problem is that the term AGI is nowhere to be found in this list. Is reaching Level 5, when "AI that can do the work of an organization," the moment when OpenAI claims AGI? Is it Level 4, when AI helps aid in an invention that, say, cures cancer? Or is there a Level 6 on the horizon? What about artificial superintelligence, or ASI, which OpenAI has talked about as a kind of AI system that would be more intelligent than all humans put together? Where is ASI in this five-tiered scale? To be fair, even OpenAI's stated definition of AGI is not universally accepted by others within the AI research community. And there is also no well accepted definition of intelligence, which makes the entire excercise of trying to define AI capabilities in terms of being "more intelligent" than a human problematic. OpenAI's rivals over at Google DeepMind last year published a research paper outlining a very different ladder of AI progress than OpenAI's. AI doing the "work of an organization" is not on that list. Instead, you'll find "emerging" (including today's chatbots), "competent," "expert," "virtuoso," and "superhuman" -- that is, performing a wide range of tasks better than all humans, including tasks beyond any human ability, including decoding people's thoughts and predicting future events. The Google DeepMind researchers emphasized that no level beyond "emerging" has yet been achieved. OpenAI executives reportedly told the company's employees that it is currently on Level 1 of its classification tiers, but on the cusp of reaching the Level 2 "Reasoners" level, which "refers to systems that can do basic problem-solving tasks as well as a human with a doctorate-level education who doesn't have access to any tools." But just how close does this put OpenAI to AGI? We have no way of knowing. And that may be exactly the point. After all, even if OpenAI is keen that AGI "benefits all of humanity," they certainly want it to benefit OpenAI. And that requires some thoughtful strategy: For example, perhaps "AGI" is not part of the discourse because the term has become so loaded -- why freak people out? That's another good reason to say the company is on the verge of Level 2 -- it shows they are not lagging behind, but not leaping ahead unnecessarily, either. While the five tiers might seem to imply a slow, steady progression up the capability staircase to Level 5, it is just as possible that OpenAI will hold its AGI cards close to the vest and suddenly announce a "Eureka!" moment allowing it to leapfrog a level or two to achieve AGI. Because once OpenAI reaches AGI, everything changes -- to OpenAI's advantage. According to the company's structure, "the board determines when we've attained AGI...Such a system is excluded from IP licenses and other commercial terms with Microsoft, which only apply to pre-AGI technology." If one harks back to Sam Altman's ouster from OpenAI in November 2023, that is where things get really interesting. Before that, the six-person OpenAI board that would have made that decision was very different from the one that exists now. It remains to be seen at what stage today's board -- Altman and board chairman Bret Taylor, as well as Adam D'Angelo, Dr. Sue Desmond-Hellmann, Retired U.S. Army General Paul M. Nakasone, Nicole Seligman, Fidji Simo, and Larry Summers -- decides OpenAI's version of "AGI" has arrived.

OpenAI reveals new ChatGPT-5 details

OpenAI has introduced a new classification system for tracking the progress of its AI models towards achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI). The latest model, referred to as "Reasoners," is expected to perform problem-solving tasks at a PhD level without access to external tools. This development marks a significant step in AI capabilities, with potential implications for various industries and applications. OpenAI, has introduced a groundbreaking five-level classification system to track the progress of its AI models towards artificial general intelligence (AGI). This new system provides a roadmap for the development and deployment of increasingly sophisticated AI models, spanning from current conversational AI to AI capable of managing entire organizations. The current AI landscape is dominated by models like GPT-4 and GPT-3.5, which excel in conversational interactions and are already prevalent in various applications such as customer service and content creation. However, OpenAI's latest development, dubbed "Reasoners," represents a significant leap forward. These Level 2 models aim to perform problem-solving tasks at a PhD level without relying on external tools, signifying a major advancement in AI capabilities. The implications of "Reasoners" are far-reaching, with the potential to transform fields like scientific research, engineering, and medicine. By enhancing AI's reliability and applicability, these models could lead to breakthroughs in areas requiring advanced problem-solving skills. As AI continues to evolve, the classification system outlines the following future levels: OpenAI's iterative deployment strategy ensures the safe and responsible implementation of advanced AI models. This approach involves gradual rollouts, continuous monitoring, and feedback loops to address emerging issues. The organization may also limit the release of these models to research organizations and specific industries to prevent misuse and ensure ethical deployment. Here are a selection of other articles from our extensive library of content you may find of interest on the subject of OpenAI's ChatGPT 5 large language model : The enhanced capabilities of AI models like "Reasoners" could yield significant economic benefits. Industries such as healthcare, finance, and entertainment could leverage these advanced models to boost efficiency, reduce costs, and create new opportunities. Collaboration with sectors like Hollywood could result in innovative AI applications in content creation and production, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. However, the development of advanced AI systems also raises important challenges and considerations. Ensuring the safe and ethical deployment of these technologies is crucial. OpenAI must address skepticism and manage public expectations regarding AI capabilities. Transparent communication and responsible practices will be essential in gaining public trust and ensuring the beneficial use of AI technologies. OpenAI's vision for the future of AI is centered around continuous improvement and scaling of AI models. Future AI systems could even assist in AI research itself, accelerating advancements and leading to the development of even more sophisticated models. This self-improving cycle has the potential to drive rapid progress towards AGI. As we move towards this exciting future, it is essential to approach the development and deployment of advanced AI systems with caution and responsibility. By adhering to ethical principles, fostering public trust, and prioritizing the beneficial use of AI technologies, we can harness the immense potential of AI to transform industries, solve complex problems, and improve the human condition. OpenAI's new classification system and the introduction of "Reasoners" mark a significant milestone in the journey towards AGI. As we witness the unfolding of this technological revolution, it is crucial to remain informed, engaged, and proactive in shaping the future of AI for the betterment of society as a whole.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has set this 5-level test to see how close its AI model is to human intelligence - Times of India

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI has reportedly developed a standard that will help the company to track the progress of AI model's ability to match or even outperform human intelligence. The system, which has a set of five levels, is seen as the Microsoft-backed company's latest effort to help people better understand the company's take on safety and the future of AI. Citing an OpenAI spokesperson, a report in Bloomberg says that the ChatGPT-maker shared the classification system with employees on Tuesday this week (July 9) during an all-hands meeting. The report also said that OpenAI plans to share these tiers with investors and others outside the company. The basic level (Level 1) includes the AI that is available for users to interact in conversational language and the most advanced (Level 5) AI that can do the work of an organisation. What are the 5 levels of AI-testing standards OpenAi's new framework categorises AI capabilities into five distinct tiers Level 1: Conversational Understanding - This level represents AI systems that can interact conversationally, similar to many chatbots available today. Level 2: Reasoners - OpenAI believes they are nearing this level, which encompasses AI that can solve basic problems on par with a human PhD holder without any tools. Level 3: Agents - This tier envisions AI systems capable of independently taking actions on a user's behalf for extended periods. Level 4: Innovators - This level represents AI that can independently develop new ideas and innovations. Level 5: Organisations - The most advanced level signifies AI capable of replicating the complex functions of an entire organisation. OpenAI executives reportedly told employees that it believes it is currently on the first level and on the cusp of reaching the second. Reportedly, the company leadership gave a demonstration of a research project involving its GPT-4 AI model at the same meeting. This project showed some new skills that rise to human-like reasoning, a person familiar with the discussion was quoted as saying. The company spokesperson told the publication that OpenAI is always testing new capabilities internally, a common practice in the industry. The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.