OpenAI aims to build a fully automated AI researcher; psychedelic trials falter

OpenAI has set a new long-term goal: building an AI researcher — a fully automated, agent-based system capable of tackling large, complex problems independently. The company says this will be its “north star” for the coming years. By September it plans to launch an “autonomous AI research intern” to handle a small number of specific research problems, a precursor to a multi-agent system scheduled for 2028.

In an exclusive interview, OpenAI’s chief scientist Jakub Pachocki outlined the roadmap. Scientific interest in psychedelic drugs has surged over the past decade, with compounds like psilocybin explored for depression, PTSD, addiction and even obesity. Two studies published earlier this week, however, illustrate how difficult these drugs are to study and suggest they have been overhyped.

The findings underscore the challenge of turning early promise into consistent clinical results.

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