{"id":19829,"date":"2026-03-20T13:27:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T13:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/20\/the-download-openai-building-fully-automated-researcher-psychedelic-drug-trial\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T13:27:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T13:27:04","slug":"the-download-openai-building-fully-automated-researcher-psychedelic-drug-trial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/2026\/03\/20\/the-download-openai-building-fully-automated-researcher-psychedelic-drug-trial\/","title":{"rendered":"The Download: OpenAI is building a fully automated researcher, and a psychedelic trial blind spot"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

This is today\u2019s edition of <\/em>The Download<\/em><\/a>, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what\u2019s going on in the world of technology.<\/em><\/p>\n

OpenAI is throwing everything into building a fully automated researcher<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

OpenAI has a new grand challenge: building an AI researcher\u2014a fully automated agent-based system capable of tackling large, complex problems by itself. The San Francisco firm said the new goal will be its \u201cnorth star\u201d for the next few years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

By September, the company plans to build \u201can autonomous AI research intern\u201d that can take on a\u00a0small number of specific research problems. The intern will be the precursor to the fully automated multi-agent system, which is slated to debut in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In an exclusive interview this week, OpenAI\u2019s chief scientist, Jakub\u00a0Pachocki, talked me through the plans.\u00a0Find out what I discovered<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Will\u00a0Douglas\u00a0Heaven<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mind-altering substances are (still) falling short in clinical trials<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

Over the last decade,\u00a0we\u2019ve\u00a0seen scientific interest in\u00a0psychedelic drugs explode.\u00a0Compounds like psilocybin\u2014which is found in magic mushrooms\u2014are being explored for all sorts of health applications, including treatments for depression, PTSD, addiction, and even obesity.\u00a0But\u00a0two studies out earlier this week\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0just how difficult it is to study these drugs.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

For me,\u00a0they\u00a0show just how overhyped these substances have become.\u00a0Find out why here<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Jessica\u00a0Hamzelou<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

This\u00a0<\/strong>story<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review\u2019s weekly biotech newsletter.\u00a0<\/strong>Sign up<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to receive it in your inbox every Wednesday.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more:\u00a0What do psychedelic drugs do to our brains? AI could help us find out<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The must-reads\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve\u00a0combed the internet to find you today\u2019s most fun\/important\/scary\/fascinating stories about technology.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

1 OpenAI is building a \u201csuper app\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s merging ChatGPT, a web browser, and a coding tool into a single app. (The Verge<\/a>)\u00a0
+\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0also buying coding startup Astral to enhance its Codex model.<\/em>\u00a0(Ars Technica<\/a>)\u00a0
+ The moves come amid a cutback on side projects.<\/em>\u00a0(WSJ<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ OpenAI has lost ground to Anthropic in the enterprise market.<\/em>\u00a0(Axios<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

2 The US has charged Super Micro\u2019s co-founder with smuggling AI tech to China\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
Super Micro is third on Fortune\u2019s list of the fastest-growing companies. (Reuters<\/a>)\u00a0\u00a0
+ GenAI is learning to spy for the US military.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0
+ The compute competition is shaping the China-US rivalry.<\/em>\u00a0(Politico<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

3 The\u00a0DoJ\u00a0has taken down botnets behind the largest-ever DDoS attack<\/strong>\u00a0
They had infected more than 3 million devices. (Wired<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ The\u00a0DoJ\u00a0has also seized domains tied to Iranian \u201chacktivists.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Axios<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

4 The Pentagon says\u00a0Anthropic\u2019s\u00a0foreign workers are a security risk<\/strong>\u00a0
It cited Chinese employees as a particular concern. (Axios<\/a>)\u00a0
+\u00a0Anthropic\u2019s\u00a0moral boundaries have incensed the DoD.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

5 High oil prices could wreck the AI boom, the WTO has warned<\/strong>\u00a0
Fears are growing of a prolonged energy shock. (The Guardian<\/a>)\u00a0
+ We did the math on AI\u2019s energy footprint.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

6 Jeff Bezos is trying to raise $100 billion to use AI in manufacturing<\/strong>\u00a0
The funds would buy manufacturing firms and infuse them with AI. (WSJ<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+\u00a0Here\u2019s\u00a0how to fine-tune AI for prosperity.<\/em>\u00a0(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

7 Signal\u2019s creator is helping to encrypt Meta\u2019s AI\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
Moxie Marlinspike is integrating his encrypted chatbot, Confer. (Wired<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ Meta is also ditching human moderators for AI again<\/em>. (CNBC<\/a>)\u00a0
+ AI is making online crimes easier.\u00a0<\/em>(MIT Technology Review<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

8 Prediction market Kalshi has raised $1 billion at a $22 billion valuation<\/strong>\u00a0
That\u2019s\u00a0double its valuation from December. (Bloomberg<\/a>\u00a0$)\u00a0
+ Arizona\u2019s AG has charged the company with \u201cillegal gambling.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(NPR<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

9 Meta\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0killing Horizon Worlds for VR after all<\/strong>\u00a0
It\u2019s\u00a0canceled\u00a0plans to dump the metaverse app (for now). (CNBC<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

10 A US startup is recruiting an \u201cAI bully\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0
The successful candidate must test the patience of leading chatbots. (The Guardian<\/a>)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quote of the day\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cImagine a sports bar\u2026 but just for situation monitoring \u2014 live X feeds, flight radar, Bloomberg terminals, and\u00a0Polymarket\u00a0screens.\u201d\u00a0<\/h2>\n

\u2014Kalshi rival\u00a0Polymarket\u00a0unveils its hellish vision<\/a>\u00a0for a new bar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One More Thing\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\"\"<\/p>\n
SELMAN DESIGN<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

How gamification took over the world<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0a thought that occurs to every video-game player at some point: what if the weird, hyper-focused state I enter in virtual worlds could somehow be applied to the real one?\u00a0<\/p>\n

For a handful of consultants, startup gurus, and game designers in the late 2000s, this state of \u201cblissful productivity\u201d became the key to unlocking our true human potential. Their vision became the global phenomenon of gamification\u2014but it\u00a0didn\u2019t\u00a0live up to the hype.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Instead of liberating us, gamification became a tool for coercion, distraction, and control. Find out\u00a0why we fell for it<\/a>\u2014and how we can recover.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014Bryan Gardiner<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

We can still have\u00a0nice things\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

A place for comfort, fun and distraction to brighten up your day. (Got any ideas?\u00a0<\/em>Drop me a line<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

+ In a landmark legal win for trolling, Afroman has won his\u00a0diss track<\/a>\u00a0case against the police.\u00a0
+ This\u00a0LEGO artist<\/a>\u00a0remixes standard sets into completely different iconic objects.\u00a0
+ Ease your search for aliens with these\u00a0interactive estimates<\/a>\u00a0of advanced civilizations.\u00a0\u00a0
+ A rare\u00a0superbloom in Death Valley<\/a>\u00a0has been caught on camera.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is today\u2019s edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[226],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19829\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ideainthebox.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}