With Sam Altman returning to OpenAI as CEO, the week-long "firing" saga seems to be coming to a close. However, the emergence of a new piece of news appears to have stirred up new waves.

According to reports from two informed sources cited by the media, several research staff members at OpenAI sent a letter to the board of directors four days before CEO Sam Altman's departure, warning that they had discovered a powerful artificial intelligence technology that could pose a threat to humanity.

It is said that this previously unreported letter and the artificial intelligence algorithm were key factors in Altman's dismissal and one of the events that led to over 700 employees threatening to resign and join Microsoft.

Sources claim that this letter was one of the reasons for Altman's dismissal. The media was unable to access a copy of the letter, and the staff members who wrote it did not respond to requests for comment.

After receiving inquiries from the media, OpenAI acknowledged a project called Q* and a letter to the board in an internal communication. An OpenAI spokesperson stated that the information was sent by long-time executive Mira Murati, who alerted employees to certain media reports but did not comment on their accuracy.

Some individuals within OpenAI believe that Q* (pronounced Q-Star) may be one of the breakthroughs in the company's search for so-called artificial general intelligence (AGI). OpenAI defines AGI as autonomous systems that surpass humans in most economically valuable tasks.

According to insiders, with substantial computing resources, this new model is capable of solving certain mathematical problems. Although it can only perform math operations at an elementary school level, researchers are optimistic about Q*'s future success.