Altman: AGI by end of 2026, says TIME report

The TIME report, based on interviews with over 20 executives, employees, investors, and rivals, presents a company confident it is on the cusp of achieving AGI. This confidence is anchored in Astra, which the article says already hits the internal benchmark of an automated AI research intern. The underlying wager is that such a system could kick off recursive self-improvement, where AI helps make itself better, though the article notes opinions on this are split.

The report also highlights a significant debate over whether AI built purely on language models can truly make new discoveries and generalize, which seems like a basic requirement for AGI. Since the term itself has no precise definition, it's partly a matter of interpretation. Beyond the lofty ambitions, the company faces the mundane problem of paying for it all, which is driving a tighter product focus and experiments with new revenue streams like ads. OpenAI is also working on a "small handful" of devices, with the first, a puck-shaped voice device, expected early next year.