OpenAI Targets 2027-28 AGI, Secures Pentagon Deal, Tightens Canada Safety Rules

OpenAI’s roadmap now lists a 2027‑28 target for artificial general intelligence, with CEO Sam Altman saying the milestone will guide the company’s research investments and product rollouts, according to the OpenTools report on Altman’s announcement. The timeline marks a shift from incremental model upgrades to a concerted push for systems that can reason across domains, a goal Altman framed as “the next logical step for the organization.” The firm plans to double its R&D budget over the next two years and expand its dedicated AGI team, which already includes more than 200 engineers and scientists.

In parallel, OpenAI secured a multi‑year contract with the U.S. Department of Defense, a deal described by OpenTools as “historic” because it positions the company as the Pentagon’s primary AI supplier, sidelining rival Anthropic. The agreement follows a recent White House directive that barred Anthropic from certain military projects, prompting the Pentagon to turn to OpenAI for large‑scale language‑model deployment and custom AI tools. The contract, whose financial terms were not disclosed, is expected to fund joint research on secure, low‑latency inference and battlefield‑ready decision‑support systems.

The company also pledged to tighten safety protocols for its Canadian operations after a tragic school shooting in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia, where the perpetrator had interacted with ChatGPT. The Wall Street Journal reported that OpenAI’s internal algorithm flagged the user’s messages as potential warnings, but the account was only blocked and not reported to police. In a letter to AI Minister Evan Solomon, OpenAI announced new measures: broader criteria for sharing data with authorities, a direct liaison channel with Canadian law‑enforcement agencies, and enhanced detection of evasion tactics. Vice President Ann O’Leary said the revised rules would have mandated a police report in the recent case.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser welcomed the tighter safeguards, noting they align with Canada’s broader AI governance framework. OpenAI’s commitments come as regulators worldwide intensify scrutiny over AI‑driven content moderation and real‑time threat detection. The company’s simultaneous AGI timeline, Pentagon partnership, and Canadian safety overhaul illustrate a strategy that blends ambitious technology goals with heightened compliance and government collaboration.