Cultivating the AI mind to think deeper

With the o1 model, OpenAI brings AI closer to AGI by fostering deeper, reasoning-driven solutions for tackling complex problems with a new level of thoughtfulness

- VERNIKA AWAL

Sam Altman’s OpenAI recently unveiled o1. This new Artificial Intelligence (AI) model works very differently from the way the company’s significantly popular Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) large language model (LLM) has worked to date. While this may seem to be just another development in the technology field, the OpenAI o1 model is a crucial juncture in AI.

Why? Because it brings us closer to achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

WHAT IS OPENAI O1?

OpenAI o1 is the latest AI model from one of the world’s most prominent AI development companies. Contrary to how most individuals worldwide have perceived AI, o1 wants to make generative AI more meaningful instead of just being faster.

Think of this as when global agricultural research became more than just about producing durable crops. While the latter defined global food supply chains for decades, agricultural research has recently sought to understand how to maximise crop yields without sacrificing health quotients. In many ways, this is happening to generative AI with OpenAI’s o1, too.

The OpenAI o1 AI model is termed a ‘reasoning’ model. In OpenAI’s words, “We have developed a new series of AI models designed to spend more time thinking before they respond. They can reason through complex tasks and solve harder problems than previous science, coding, and maths models. We trained these models to spend more time thinking through problems before they respond, much like a person would. They learn to refine their thinking process through training, try different strategies, and recognise their mistakes.”

WHAT IS AGI, AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

Just as the world started marvelling over the impact of a tool like ChatGPT when it was released in 2022, researchers and thought leaders began to speak about AGI. While some took w alarmist approach, others were impressed.