OpenAI believes it is approaching artificial general intelligence (AGI), with Chief Research Officer Mark Chen estimating the company is “80% of the way” there.

Sam Altman said OpenAI expects to have an internal system he would consider AGI by the end of 2026, marking one of the company’s clearest timelines yet.

The progress is reportedly being driven by Astra, OpenAI’s next-generation model designed for autonomous research. In one demonstration, 16 AI agents divided a research-level math problem, coordinated their work and assembled a proposed proof.

Astra can reportedly work on research tasks for extended periods, with Altman expecting it to eventually “invent new things” in ways that materially contribute to scientific discovery.

If OpenAI’s timeline holds, 2026 could mark a major transition from AI that assists with knowledge to AI capable of creating new knowledge itself.

Read the full TIME interview

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