OpenAI's path to General Agents (AGI) has just entered a new phase, as the company and its largest partner, Microsoft, have announced a revised cooperation agreement, including the establishment of an independent expert panel to evaluate any future statements related to AGI.
According to the joint statement on October 28 (local time), all statements about OpenAI's AGI achievements will have to be verified by an outside panel.
This is the first time in the technology industry that an independent organization has been given supervision at the superintellectual level, a turning point that can decide the development direction of global AI.
The revised agreement also allows OpenAI to restructure into a public welfare company, a model of harmony between profit goals and social responsibility. After the restructuring, Microsoft will hold 27% of the shares, equivalent to 135 billion USD, instead of 32.5% previously.
The term AGI is understood as the level of intelligence that helps AI perform complex tasks at or above humans. The request for independent verification councils reflects the caution of both sides in the context of the technology community increasingly concerned about the speed of AI development beyond control.
In the new framework, Microsoft will remain a pioneering model partner of OpenAI until 2032, holding intellectual property (IP) rights to AI models developed by OpenAI, including the post-AGI stage.
However, the revenue sharing agreement between the two parties will end when the AGI verification board is established.
Another notable point is that Microsoft will no longer have intellectual property over OpenAI's consumer hardware, a field that is attracting attention after OpenAI acquired the startup of Jony Ive, former Apple's design director, to develop a new generation of AI devices.
In addition, OpenAI is allowed to partner with a third party to develop an open- mind model, but API products are still required to be stored on the Azure cloud platform. Microsoft revealed that OpenAI has added $250 billion in cloud services to expand its computing capabilities.
Observers say the new agreement reflects the complex yet strategic relationship between the two companies as Microsoft wants to protect technology, while OpenAI seeks to expand its research autonomy towards AGI, a goal that could change the future of the world.
