The word “recursion” is the latest buzzword in AI circles. Two separate startups have taken on the name, and many more have started referencing Recursive self-improvement (RSI) in their roadmaps. Like AGI before it, RSI has become a three-letter byword for a cataclysmic AI takeoff – even if there’s still a little disagreement about exactly what it means.

In basic terms, RSI refers to an AI system that can continuously upgrade itself. Once AI systems can manage the upgrade cycle better than humans, the process can become a closed loop, limited only by the compute power they can access, and humans no longer necessary or even helpful. 

Scary or not, that’s a vision that a lot of AI labs are eager to chase.

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