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OpenAI Researchers Warned Board of AI Breakthrough ahead of CEO Ouster, Sources Say

FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
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OpenAI Researchers Warned Board of AI Breakthrough ahead of CEO Ouster, Sources Say

FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A keyboard is placed in front of a displayed OpenAI logo in this illustration taken February 21, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo

Ahead of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s four days in exile, several staff researchers wrote a letter to the board of directors warning of a powerful artificial intelligence discovery that they said could threaten humanity, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The previously unreported letter and AI algorithm were key developments before the board's ouster of Altman, the poster child of generative AI, the two sources said. Prior to his triumphant return late Tuesday, more than 700 employees had threatened to quit and join backer Microsoft (MSFT.O) in solidarity with their fired leader.
The sources cited the letter as one factor among a longer list of grievances by the board leading to Altman's firing, among which were concerns over commercializing advances before understanding the consequences. Reuters was unable to review a copy of the letter. The staff who wrote the letter did not respond to requests for comment.
After being contacted by Reuters, OpenAI, which declined to comment, acknowledged in an internal message to staffers a project called Q* and a letter to the board before the weekend's events, one of the people said. An OpenAI spokesperson said that the message, sent by long-time executive Mira Murati, alerted staff to certain media stories without commenting on their accuracy.
Some at OpenAI believe Q* (pronounced Q-Star) could be a breakthrough in the startup's search for what's known as artificial general intelligence (AGI), one of the people told Reuters. OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.
Given vast computing resources, the new model was able to solve certain mathematical problems, the person said on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to speak on behalf of the company. Though only performing math on the level of grade-school students, acing such tests made researchers very optimistic about Q*’s future success, the source said.

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How Safe Is Signal Messaging App Used by Trump Aides to Share War Plans?

The Signal messaging app logo is seen on a smartphone, in front of the same displayed same logo, in this illustration taken, January 13, 2021. (Reuters)
The Signal messaging app logo is seen on a smartphone, in front of the same displayed same logo, in this illustration taken, January 13, 2021. (Reuters)
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How Safe Is Signal Messaging App Used by Trump Aides to Share War Plans?

The Signal messaging app logo is seen on a smartphone, in front of the same displayed same logo, in this illustration taken, January 13, 2021. (Reuters)
The Signal messaging app logo is seen on a smartphone, in front of the same displayed same logo, in this illustration taken, January 13, 2021. (Reuters)

Top Trump administration officials used messaging app Signal to share war plans and mistakenly included a journalist in the encrypted chat, spurring calls by Democratic lawmakers for a congressional investigation into the security breach.

Under US law, it can be a crime to mishandle, misuse or abuse classified information, though it is unclear whether those provisions might have been violated in this case.

Below are some of the main facts about Signal:

HOW SAFE IS IT?

Signal is an open-source and fully encrypted messaging service that runs on centralized servers maintained by Signal Messenger.

The only user data it stores on its servers are phone numbers, the date a user joined the service, and the last login information.

Users' contacts, chats and other communications are instead stored on the user's phone, with the possibility of setting the option to automatically delete conversations after a certain amount of time.

The company uses no ads or affiliate marketers, and doesn't track users' data, as stated on its website.

Signal also gives users the possibility to hide their phone number from others and use an additional safety number to verify the safety of their messages, it adds.

Signal does not use US government encryption or that of any other governments, and is not hosted on government servers.

The messaging app has a "stellar reputation and is widely used and trusted in the security community", said Rocky Cole, whose cybersecurity firm iVerify helps protect smartphone users from hackers.

"The risk of discussing highly sensitive national security information on Signal isn't so much that Signal itself is insecure," Cole added.

Actors who pose threats to nation states, he said, "have a demonstrated ability to remotely compromise the entire mobile phone itself. If the phone itself isn't secure, all the Signal messages on that device can be read."

HOW DOES SIGNAL WORK?

Signal is a secure messaging service that uses end-to-end encryption, meaning the service provider cannot access and read private conversations and calls from users on its app, therefore guaranteeing its users' privacy.

Signal's software is available across platforms, both on smartphones and computers, and enables messaging, voice and video calls. A telephone number is necessary to register and create an account.

Unlike other messaging apps, Signal does not track or store user data, and its code is publicly available, so security experts can verify how it works and ensure it remains safe.

Signal President Meredith Whittaker on Tuesday defended the app's security: "Signal is the gold standard in private comms."

She added in a post on X: "WhatsApp licenses Signal’s cryptography to protect message contents for consumer WhatsApp."

WHO FOUNDED SIGNAL?

Signal was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur Moxie Marlinspike and Whittaker, according to the company's website.

In February 2018, Marlinspike alongside WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton started the non-profit Signal Foundation, which currently oversees the app.

Acton provided an initial funding of $50 million. Acton left WhatsApp in 2017 due to differences around the use of customer data and targeted advertising.

Signal is not tied to any major tech companies and will never be acquired by one, it says on its website.

WHO USES SIGNAL?

Widely used by privacy advocates and political activists, Signal has gone from an exotic messaging app used by dissidents to a whisper network for journalists and media, to a messaging tool for government agencies and organizations.

Signal saw "unprecedented" growth in 2021 after a disputed change in rival WhatsApp's privacy terms, as privacy advocates jumped off WhatsApp on fears users would have to share their data with both Facebook and Instagram.

Reuters lists Signal as one of the tools tipsters can use to share confidential news tips with its journalists, while noting that "no system is 100 percent secure".

Signal's community forum, an unofficial group which states that its administration is composed of Signal employees, also lists the European Commission as a user of the tool. In 2017, the US Senate Sergeant at Arms approved the use of Signal for Senate staff.

"Although Signal is widely regarded as offering very secure communications for consumers due to its end-to-end encryption and because it collects very little user data, it is hard to believe it is suitable for exchanging messages related to national security," said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight - alluding to the breach involving top Trump aides discussing plans for military strikes on Yemeni Houthi militants.

Google's message services Google Messages and Google Allo, as well as Meta's Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, use the Signal Protocol, according to Signal's website.