• Source:JND
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OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has revealed the company’s next major goal—the creation of a fully automated AI researcher by 2028, aimed at accelerating scientific discovery and pushing closer toward the era of superintelligence.

“For the long-term quality of life and improvement and change in society, AI that can autonomously discover new science or help people discover new science faster will be, I think, one of the most important things and something that we're really trying to wrap our heads around,” Altman said during a live-streamed event.

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According to OpenAI, the first milestone in this journey will come by September 2026, when it expects to develop an internal AI research assistant capable of handling complex tasks and assisting researchers. Two years later, by 2028, the company plans to evolve that system into a fully autonomous researcher.

Jakub Pachocki, OpenAI’s Chief Scientist, added in the same session that “deep learning systems are less than a decade away from superintelligence.”

The company believes such an AI assistant could revolutionise research in fields like science, technology, and medicine by independently tackling complex problems and uncovering new insights.

OpenAI Completes Transition to Public Benefit Corporation

The announcement comes alongside another major update—OpenAI has officially transitioned from a non-profit organisation to a public benefit corporation (PBC). The move is expected to give the company more flexibility to raise capital while maintaining its long-term mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits humanity.

The original non-profit arm will retain about $130 billion in equity in the new structure. Notably, Sam Altman will not hold any stake in the public benefit corporation.

Microsoft, OpenAI’s biggest backer, will hold roughly 27% of the PBC, equivalent to about $135 billion in stake. Under the revised agreement, Microsoft will continue to access OpenAI’s AI models until 2032, even if independent experts confirm that OpenAI has achieved AGI. Previously, access was limited to either 2030 or the moment AGI was reached — whichever came first.

The companies have also amended their cloud partnership terms. OpenAI has agreed to purchase $250 billion worth of Microsoft Azure services, though Microsoft will no longer have a right of first refusal to serve as its exclusive compute partner.

A revenue-sharing arrangement remains in place until a panel of experts verifies that OpenAI has achieved AGI. According to Bloomberg, Microsoft will receive 20% of OpenAI’s revenue under this agreement.

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The restructuring is designed to make it easier for OpenAI to secure funding — something that had been complicated by its previous hybrid structure. With rivals such as Google, Meta, and Anthropic advancing rapidly, OpenAI’s new corporate setup could help it access the capital and computing power needed to compete in the global race toward superintelligence.

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