Why AI lab staff keep racing despite extinction risk: the RSI logic explained
AndyMasley · x · 2026-09-09
A widely shared thread explains why people at AI labs continue their work despite believing in existential risk. The key concept is Recursive Self Improvement (RSI): AIs improving themselves in a feedback loop where each model gets better. Game theory literature often assumes whoever achieves RSI first gains an insurmountable lead over every rival lab and nation. RSI remains purely theoretical, but this logic explains why researchers race even while fearing the outcome.
Related event: OpenAI Calls Safety a Bottleneck as RSI Race Raises Concerns(2 posts)→
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