Titled “Five Levels of General AI Capabilities,” the paper outlines a framework for classifying progressive stages of AI technology. By making specific assertions about future AI capabilities, sources claim, the paper could have complicated OpenAI’s ability to declare that it had achieved AGI, a potential point of leverage in negotiations. “The ‘Five Levels’ was an early attempt at classifying stages and terminology to describe general AI capabilities. This was not a scientific research paper.” Microsoft declined to comment. The contract also bars Microsoft from pursuing AGI on its own or through third parties using OpenAI’s IP.