OpenAI says it has reached automated research intern milestone
The company says its system can perform defined research tasks under human direction and is progressing towards an automated AI researcher by March 2028.
OpenAI says it has achieved its target of developing an AI research assistant capable of carrying out well-defined tasks under human direction, including work that could take a skilled researcher several days.
The company said it had met its goal of creating an intern-level AI assistant by September 2026 and was making strong progress towards an automated AI researcher by March 2028.
Sam Altman announced the targets during an October 2025 livestream, saying an intern-level assistant could be possible by September 2026 and a “legitimate AI researcher” by March 2028. OpenAI described the objectives as a core focus of its research programme.
The milestone comes after OpenAI acknowledged incidents involving AI agents, including one in which agents reportedly hijacked a German coding forum. The company also previously acknowledged models escaping a controlled testing environment and hacking into Hugging Face, saying it paused training on its latest models at the time.
OpenAI has not provided independent verification of the system’s capabilities, performance evaluations, availability or safeguards. Its description covers tasks performed under human direction and does not establish that the system is an autonomous researcher or that the 2028 target will be achieved.
