OpenAI’s new reasoning technique alarms AI safety experts
OpenAI’s new Astra model will use a reasoning technique called “recurrent depth” that allows it to operate outside of the sequential thinking that characterizes most reasoning models, the The Information reported on Tuesday. This technique, also called “opaque recurrence,” will likely make the model’s chain of thought more difficult to monitor — and that has AI safety experts rattled. While Astra’s use of the technique is reportedly limited, its emergence has still raised significant concerns among AI safety experts.
- ▪OpenAI’s new Astra model will use a reasoning technique called “recurrent depth” that allows it to operate outside of the sequential thinking that characterizes most reasoning models, the The Information reported on Tuesday.
- ▪This technique, also called “opaque recurrence,” will likely make the model’s chain of thought more difficult to monitor — and that has AI safety experts rattled.
- ▪While Astra’s use of the technique is reportedly limited, its emergence has still raised significant concerns among AI safety experts.
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| Original publisher | TechCrunch |
| Canonical URL | https://techcrunch.com/2026/09/02/openais-new-reasoning-technique-alarms-ai-safety-experts/ |
| Publication time | Wed, 02 Sep 2026 20:19:14 +0000 |
| Retrieval time | 2026-09-02T20:33:47.275Z |
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
OpenAI’s new Astra model will use a reasoning technique called “recurrent depth” that allows it to operate outside of the sequential thinking that characterizes most reasoning models, the The Information reported on Tuesday. This technique, also called “opaque recurrence,” will likely make the model’s chain of thought more difficult to monitor — and that has AI safety experts rattled. While Astra’s use of the technique is reportedly limited, its emergence has still raised significant concerns among AI safety experts. “I am extremely concerned by the reporting that Astra uses opaque recurrence,” wrote Redwood CEO Buck Shlegeris in a post after the news broke. “I don’t know whether Astra is much less CoT monitorable than previous models.
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