Toby Ord paper mathematically dissects intelligence explosions
tobyordoxford · x · 2026-08-28
Toby Ord released a paper "The Dynamics of Intelligence Explosions" exploring the mathematics of Recursive Self-Improvement (RSI).
Key findings:
- RSI cannot have a vertical asymptote unless the "generation time" (time to train a successor) approaches zero.
- Many measures of intelligence could theoretically go to infinity.
The paper shows singular growth is harder to achieve than expected and identifies generation time as a pivotal, neglected parameter.
Related event: Oxford's Toby Ord Publishes "The Dynamics of Intelligence Explosions"(8 posts)→
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