OpenAI launches Astra model, claims new era of AI

San Francisco‑based OpenAI unveiled its latest model, Astra, on Thursday, branding it as “the world’s most intelligent and aligned model.” The announcement came shortly after OpenAI president Greg Brockman declared that humanity has entered a new era of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Brockman’s statement follows a recent comment from OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who described the term “AGI” as an “irrelevant marketing term” only days earlier.

The release of Astra follows a serious AI safety incident involving other models under development at OpenAI, which prompted international concern and a temporary halt to Astra’s training. Despite the pause, the company proceeded with the launch, emphasizing the model’s alignment and performance improvements. OpenAI has not disclosed specific technical details of Astra, and regulators and industry observers are awaiting further information on how the safety concerns have been addressed.