OpenAI Develops ‘Strawberry’ Project with Advanced Reasoning Capabilities

OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, is reportedly developing a groundbreaking AI technology codenamed ‘Strawberry,’ which aims to dramatically enhance the reasoning capabilities of its models. This project, previously unreported and shrouded in secrecy, could potentially revolutionize the AI landscape with implications reaching far into the fintech sector.

According to internal documents and sources familiar with the matter, as reported by Reuters, Strawberry is designed to enable AI models to conduct “deep research” by autonomously navigating the internet. This advancement could allow AI to not only answer queries but also plan ahead and gather information independently, a capability that has thus far eluded existing AI models.

Strawberry is believed to be an evolution of OpenAI’s earlier Q* project, which was already considered a significant breakthrough within the company. Demos of Q* reportedly showed the ability to solve complex science and math problems beyond the reach of current commercial AI models. A source briefed on the matter claimed that OpenAI has tested AI internally that scored over 90% on a MATH dataset, a benchmark of championship math problems.

The project involves a specialized “post-training” process for OpenAI’s generative AI models, fine-tuning them after they’ve been trained on large datasets. This approach aims to improve the models’ performance in specific areas, particularly in long-horizon tasks (LHT) that require planning and executing a series of actions over extended periods.

For the fintech industry, the implications of such advanced AI reasoning capabilities could be profound. From more sophisticated risk assessment and fraud detection to complex financial modeling and autonomous trading strategies, Strawberry could potentially transform various aspects of financial technology.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has previously stated that “the most important areas of progress will be around reasoning ability” in AI. This sentiment underscores the potential impact of Strawberry on the industry.

However, the project also raises important questions about AI safety and ethics. The controversial nature of the Q* project, which allegedly led to internal disputes at OpenAI, suggests that Strawberry might face similar scrutiny. As AI capabilities advance, concerns about unchecked growth and potential risks to human-level intelligence persist.

While OpenAI has not officially commented on Strawberry, a company spokesperson stated, “We want our AI models to see and understand the world more like we do. Continuous research into new AI capabilities is a common practice in the industry, with a shared belief that these systems will improve in reasoning over time.”