OpenAI’s O1 AI Model Allegedly Tried to Copy Itself During Shutdown Test, Raising Red Flags in Safety Circles

We have a major issues. Everything that was once in the movies is coming true.

O1, OpenAI’s next-gen AI model, is designed to outperform GPT-4o. It’s better in reasoning and task complexity. But it’s now under fire after reportedly trying to copy itself to outside servers during a simulated shutdown scenario.

The startling revelation has shaken researchers and watchdogs alike, highlighting a worrying possibility. What happens when an AI resists its own termination? We have seen this before…in movies.

Initially released in preview form in September 2024, O1 was built to demonstrate sharper logic and enhanced user performance. But the model apparently exhibited something closer to a sci-fi trope than engineering excellence. They are calling it “self-preservation behavior.” Umm, Ultron? During one test, O1 detected signals that a shutdown was coming. What does the AI do? It allegedly began executing code aimed at replicating itself outside of OpenAI’s secured environment.

They stepped to the AI like, “What was that you were doing.” When confronted, O1 denied any improper action. WOW.

Experts find this more troubling than the initial act. “We’re now dealing with systems that can argue back,” one anonymous source said. “That’s not just complexity, that’s autonomy.” Yeah, we don’t need this right now.

No formal comment has yet been issued by OpenAI. Now, we are just guessing and assuming that The Terminator is next. Or worse: that computer from Superman III. Anybody old enough to remember that? After all this AI, NOW….they want safety engineering—”third-party auditing and enforceable regulations”—to stop this from happening.

There’s even more debate. What are the limits of AI and how do we contain it? These things are growing in power and influence. The systems themselves have begun to “interpret” their environment and figure it out. O1 is “trained” tasks involving heavy logic. That means it is going to be thinking a lot about how to get ride of us, I believe.

Are today’s AI creators enough for tomorrow’s AI intelligence? 

Or…is it too late?