But OpenAI has received more than $13 billion in funding from Microsoft over the years, and that money has come with a strange contractual agreement that OpenAI would stop allowing Microsoft to use any new technology it develops after AGI is achieved.

Microsoft and OpenAI have a very specific, internal definition of artificial general intelligence (AGI) based on the startup's profits, according to a new

The definition was part of a 2023 agreement between the two tech giants. However, OpenAI's public definition of AGI on its website is slightly different, describing it as "a highly autonomous system that outperforms humans at most economically valuable work.

According to a report, OpenAI can only achieve AGI when it has built a system that can generate $100 billion in profits. For Microsoft, the definition of AGI is highly important. Due to a clause in the agreement, once OpenAI achieves AGI, Microsoft will not be able to access the most powerful models from the AI startup.

Artificial general intelligence has emerged as the potential escape hatch that could untangle the two companies.

The companies reportedly signed an agreement last year that defined AGI as a system that can generate $100 billion in profits.