Sam Altman says OpenAI will have a “legitimate AI researcher” by 2028

OpenAI says its deep learning systems are advancing rapidly, with models increasingly able to solve complex tasks faster. In fact, so quickly, OpenAI is internally moving toward achieving an in-house-level research assistant by September 2026, and a fully automated “forensic AI researcher” by 2028, CEO Sam Altman said during a live stream on Tuesday.

The ambitious timeline comes on the same day that OpenAI completes its transition to a public benefit organization structure, moving away from its nonprofit roots. This restructuring frees OpenAI from the constraints associated with its nonprofit charter, while also opening up new opportunities to raise capital.

Jacob Paczucki, chief scientist at OpenAI, joined Altman on the live stream. The AI ​​researcher – not to be confused with a human researching AI – described this as “a system capable of autonomously carrying out larger research projects.”

“We believe it is possible that deep learning systems are less than a decade away from superintelligence,” Paczucki added. He described superintelligence as systems that are more intelligent than humans by a large number of critical actions.

To achieve these goals, OpenAI is betting on two main strategies: continuous algorithmic innovation and significantly expanding the “test time calculation” – which is essentially how long models spend thinking about problems. Current models can handle tasks in a time frame of about five hours and match the best human performance in competitions such as the International Mathematical Olympiad, Paczucki said. But he thinks that horizon will expand quickly, in part because models are allowed to spend more computational resources on thinking about complex problems. To achieve major scientific breakthroughs, it would be beneficial to devote the equivalent of entire data centers of computing power to a single problem, Paczucki said.

OpenAI says these goals are in line with the company’s overall push to advance scientific research and allow AI to make discoveries faster than human researchers, address complex problems beyond current human capabilities, and significantly accelerate technological innovation across multiple fields such as medicine, physics, and technology development.

Altman also said the restructuring creates a framework to support OpenAI’s aggressive timeline for AI research assistants while maintaining a commitment to responsible AI development. Under the new structure, the non-profit OpenAI Foundation, which focuses on scientific advancement, will own 26% of the for-profit organization and will govern the direction of the research. The nonprofit also has a $25 billion commitment to using AI to treat disease and will help manage AI research and safety initiatives.

According to Altman, the for-profit arm’s ability to raise more money means it can scale up and build the infrastructure needed to achieve scientific progress. Altman said OpenAI has committed 30 gigawatts of infrastructure, a $1.4 trillion financial commitment, over the next few years.