OpenAI’s Secret ‘Strawberry’ Project Aims to Revolutionize AI Reasoning

Glowing strawberry with AI neural network patterns.
Table of Contents
    Add a header to begin generating the table of contents

    ChatGPT creator OpenAI is reportedly developing a groundbreaking new AI technology codenamed ‘Strawberry.’ This initiative aims to significantly enhance the reasoning capabilities of its artificial intelligence models, potentially enabling them to perform complex tasks like autonomous internet navigation for deep research. The project, previously known as ‘Q*’, has been described as a breakthrough by internal sources.

    Key Takeaways

    • OpenAI is developing a new AI reasoning technology under the codename ‘Strawberry.’
    • The project aims to enable AI to perform "deep research" by navigating the internet autonomously.
    • ‘Strawberry’ was formerly known as ‘Q*’ and has reportedly shown advanced capabilities in solving complex math and science problems.
    • The technology involves a specialized post-training method for AI models.

    Advancing AI Reasoning

    OpenAI’s ‘Strawberry’ project represents a significant push to imbue AI with more advanced reasoning skills, a capability that has long eluded current models. Unlike existing large language models that can struggle with common sense problems and sometimes "hallucinate" information, ‘Strawberry’ is designed to plan ahead, understand the physical world, and tackle multi-step problems reliably. This leap in reasoning is considered crucial for AI to achieve human or even super-human levels of intelligence.

    ‘Strawberry’s’ Capabilities and Potential

    According to internal documentation reviewed by Reuters, ‘Strawberry’ aims to enable AI models to conduct "deep research" by autonomously browsing the internet with the assistance of a "computer-using agent." This agent would take actions based on its findings, allowing the AI to perform complex, long-horizon tasks that require planning and a series of actions over extended periods. OpenAI also plans to test these capabilities on tasks typically performed by software and machine learning engineers.

    Internal Developments and Industry Context

    Sources familiar with the project indicate that ‘Strawberry’ involves a specialized method of processing AI models after their initial pre-training. This "post-training" phase adapts the base models for specific, enhanced performance. While the exact details of how ‘Strawberry’ works remain a closely guarded secret, it bears similarities to methods like Stanford’s "Self-Taught Reasoner" (STaR), which allows AI models to iteratively create their own training data to boost intelligence.

    OpenAI has been privately signaling to developers and external parties that it is on the verge of releasing technology with significantly improved reasoning abilities. This development comes as major tech companies like Google, Meta, and Microsoft are also investing heavily in enhancing AI reasoning capabilities, highlighting the competitive landscape in the pursuit of more intelligent artificial intelligence.

    OpenAI’s Response

    When asked about ‘Strawberry,’ an OpenAI 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." The spokesperson did not directly confirm or deny details about the ‘Strawberry’ project.

    Sources