OpenAI is pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence with a major technological leap — Automated AI Research, expected to arrive by 2028. During a livestream on Tuesday, CEO Sam Altman and Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki revealed that the company’s vision is to build AI systems capable of scientific discovery, deep research, and inventing new technologies independently — a crucial step toward achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI).
According to Pachocki, Automated AI Research will allow AI models to autonomously conduct scientific investigations and generate research reports in various fields, marking the beginning of a new era known as autonomous intelligence. Altman noted that while the fully functional system is still several years away, OpenAI will begin rolling out components of this capability soon.
Automated AI Research Release Timeline
| Feature | Expected Launch |
| Automated AI Research Intern (fully functioning version) | September 2026 |
| Automated AI Research tools | March 2028 |
OpenAI has laid out a structured roadmap:
The AI Research Intern tools will be designed to “meaningfully accelerate” the research process by helping scientists generate insights faster than ever. The final Automated AI Research suite will expand capabilities to the point where AI systems may one day conduct multi-year research projects — a hallmark of future superintelligence.
Long-Term Vision: From Minutes to Years of AI Research
Pachocki explained that AI’s reasoning abilities are expanding exponentially.
Today’s models can handle:
- 5-second tasks
- 5-minute tasks
- 5-hour projects
OpenAI envisions a future where AI systems can execute five-month and five-year research tasks, enabling continuous breakthroughs without human initiation.
This involves scaling test time compute — the processing capacity that allows AI models to think longer, evaluate complex queries, and generate advanced scientific outcomes.
New AI Hardware Confirmed
In an exciting addition, Sam Altman confirmed that OpenAI will launch AI-powered consumer devices in the coming years. These products will be designed to:
- Provide seamless on-the-go access to ChatGPT
- Enable users to “take AI anywhere”
- Expand integration of AI in everyday life
This aligns with previous reports linking OpenAI to a potential hardware partnership with major tech manufacturers.
Market Competition and Emerging AI Commerce
OpenAI’s move comes as Google’s Gemini Deep Research tool continues to evolve, but unlike Automated AI Research, Gemini still requires humans to write prompts and cannot autonomously discover new scientific findings.
Meanwhile, OpenAI is also expanding its AI-driven payment ecosystem.
PayPal has announced the adoption of OpenAI’s Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP), enabling users to make secure card payments directly within ChatGPT through Instant Checkout.
The feature is currently available for:
- ChatGPT Free users (US only)
- ChatGPT Plus
- ChatGPT Pro subscribers
Retail partnerships are rapidly growing, including onboarding merchants from Etsy, with Shopify sellers such as Glossier, Skims, Spanx, and Vuori joining soon.
OpenAI’s Automated AI Research initiative represents a transformational shift in how scientific discovery may occur in the near future. With autonomous intelligence, advanced hardware, and expanding agentic commerce capabilities, OpenAI is positioning itself at the forefront of the AGI revolution.
As Altman emphasized, this is only the beginning — the future of AI-driven innovation is rapidly approaching.
