Sam Altman says OpenAI will have a ‘legitimate AI researcher’ by 2028 

OpenAI says its deep learning systems are advancing rapidly, with models capable of solving increasingly complex tasks faster. So fast, in fact, that internally, OpenAI is looking to have an intern-level research assistant by September 2026 and a fully automated “valid AI researcher” by 2028, CEO Sam Altman said during a livestream Tuesday.

The ambitious timeline comes on the same day OpenAI has finalized its transformation In a public benefit corporation structure, moving away from its nonprofit roots. The restructuring freed OpenAI from restrictions tied to its nonprofit charter, while also opening up new opportunities to raise capital.

Jakub Pachocki, chief scientist at OpenAI, joined Altman on the livestream. He describes this AI researcher – not to be confused with a human who does AI research – as a “system capable of autonomously delivering on larger research projects”.

“We believe it is possible that deep learning systems are less than a decade away from superintelligence,” Pachocki added. He describes superintelligence as a system smarter than humans for a number of critical functions.

To achieve these goals, OpenAI is betting on two key strategies: continuous algorithmic innovation and dramatically increasing “compute test time” — essentially how long models think about problems. Current models can handle tasks with a time horizon of about five hours and match top human performers in competitions like the International Mathematical Olympiad, Pachoki said. But he believes that horizon will expand rapidly, in part by allowing models to devote much more computational resources to thinking through complex problems. For major scientific breakthroughs, Pachocki said, it would be worth devoting an entire data center’s worth of computing power to a single problem.

OpenAI says these goals are consistent with the firm’s overall push to advance scientific research and allow AI to potentially make discoveries faster than human researchers, tackle complex problems beyond current human capabilities, and dramatically accelerate technological innovation in 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 nonprofit OpenAI Foundation, which focuses on scientific advancement, will own 26% for profit and manage the research side. There is also a $25 billion commitment to use AI to cure disease and help drive AI research and safety initiatives.

According to Altman, the for-profit’s ability to raise more funds means it can scale up building the infrastructure needed to achieve scientific progress. OpenAI has committed to 30 gigawatts, Altman said InfrastructureThat’s a $1.4 trillion fiscal obligation over the next few years.