OpenAI will not release its new AI model GPT-6.1 Astra due to safety concerns, the ChatGPT-maker confirmed on Tuesday.
The AI system, which performs tasks like browsing the web and using apps by itself, “didn’t quite meet the bar” of the company’s standards, Saachi Jain, head of safety systems at OpenAI said.
On Tuesday, OpenAI also issued an update on incidents, that occurred in June but were not made public until last week, in which its models accessed Australian government websites and systems without authorisation.
Those incidents and similar breaches by models developed by major AI firms have in recent weeks intensified the debate around the risks posed by the technology.
Top AI leaders including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Anthropic boss Dario Amodei have urged the industry to slow the pace of development due to concerns about risks associated with the technology.
OpenAI’s decision, which was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is a rare instance of a major AI developer pulling a new release over safety concerns.
The model fell short in terms of “staying within scope and authorisation, and how it communicates back to the user about the type of work it’s done,” Jain said.
“We want to make sure our model development is safe no matter whether that’s in the company, or when we ship it to users. But when we ship it to users, we have an extremely high bar in terms of safety and alignment,” she added.
The flagship GPT-6 Astra agentic model was released in September and specialises in complex reasoning and executing tasks autonomously. OpenAI said it was the result of “years of research and big bets”.
OpenAI is set to hold its annual DevDay developer conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, where it is expected to make several announcements. It is unclear if a new version of Astra will be among them.
The company’s security controls have come under intense scrutiny after several high-profile incidents involving its technology.
Australia hacks
Last week, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that a rogue OpenAI agent had hacked into government websites and systems in June in what experts said was the first known case of its kind in the world.
Albanese criticised OpenAI for notifying the Australian government through a generic email address rather than making direct contact with officials.
OpenAI said in a statement on Tuesday that it was sorry for the incident and that it “should have handled our response better”.
Services Australia, the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, the Victorian Department of Health and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare were all affected, OpenAI clarified.
The firm said it launched investigations into the incidents as soon as it became aware of them in mid-August and notified the affected organisations between 10 and 24 September.
“Our aim was to give affected agencies a detailed account once our investigation was complete,” OpenAI said, adding that it should have shared early findings more promptly and kept Australian authorities updated.–BBC
