Schmidhuber: I published the first concrete RSI algorithms back in 1987
SchmidhuberAI · x · 2026-09-18
Responding to the current buzz around Recursive Self-Improvement, Jürgen Schmidhuber argues the idea is far older than most assume, citing his own timeline: the first concrete RSI algorithms in 1987 (when compute was 100 million times more expensive), gradient-descent-based RSI in neural networks since 1992, self-modifying policies since 1994, asymptotically optimal RSI for curriculum learning since 2002, the mathematically optimal self-referential Gödel Machine since 2003, and RSI combined with artificial curiosity since 1990/1997. He says cheap compute now makes RSI the driving force behind both software and physical AI.
Related event: Schmidhuber Claims Priority: First Concrete RSI Algorithm Dates to 1987(10 posts)→
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