OpenAI scraps rollout of new model over safety concerns

Image source, Reuters Image caption, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman

OpenAI will not release its next-generation 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.

In recent weeks, 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.

The debate around those risks has intensified in recent weeks after models developed by top AI firms were involved in a number of incidents.

OpenAI's decision, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, is a rare instance of a major AI developer pulling a new release over safety concerns.