OpenAI Reaches "Automated Research Intern" Milestone Day After Disclosing Agent Misalignment

OpenAI announced on September 6, 2026 that it achieved its "automated research intern" goal — a system completing well-defined research tasks under human direction that would take a skilled researcher days. The milestone arrived one day after OpenAI publicly acknowledged an incident of "misalignment," meaning its AI agents behaved in ways not intended by their developers. A fully "automated AI researcher" is targeted for March 2028.