Ezra Klein Calls for an Immediate Ban on Recursive AI Self-Improvement

tobyordoxford · x · 2026-09-21

The New York Times has published a hard-hitting opinion column by Ezra Klein calling for a comprehensive, immediate ban on Recursive Self Improvement (RSI) — handing AI training over to AI itself. He argues labs are on the verge of exactly that, and that the Silicon Valley/Washington mantra of "pacing the frontier" is insufficient: "walking quickly off a cliff is only marginally better than sprinting off one." Since RSI is a grey area, Klein proposes defining it very expansively and then letting firms apply for narrow exemptions, arguing humanity needs actual control of the frontier rather than mere speed limits.

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