New Paper on the Economics of RSI Released
sebkrier · x · 2026-07-16
The first paper comes from a new organization, the Elasticity Institute, focusing on the economics of recursive self-improvement (RSI).
The article is divided into two parts:
- It uses a graphical framework to represent the feedback loops in RSI arguments, interpreting each arrow as an "elasticity/responsiveness" to formalize discussions about self-reinforcing processes under different assumptions.
- It reviews existing evidence, offers a relatively lenient approach to calibration, and lists a set of evidence gaps they hope will be addressed in the future to better estimate RSI-related parameters.
Overall, this is a theoretical and evidence-synthesis draft. Rather than presenting final conclusions, its primary value lies in structuring the RSI debate and pinpointing the empirical data most needed.
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