a16z Podcast: The Race to Recursive Self-Improving AI, and Why Closed Loops Don't Guarantee Takeoff
a16z Podcast · rss · 2026-10-12
In an a16z podcast, General Partner Martin Casado talks with MakerMaker.AI co-founders Dhaval Adjodah and Owen He about recursive self-improvement (RSI).
Key points:
- Distinguishing true RSI — where the system being improved also does the improving, across models, harnesses, and more of the AI stack — from merely automating pieces of AI development
- Why closing the loop still doesn't guarantee runaway 'takeoff'
- Measuring real progress requires accounting for both capability gains and the resources consumed to achieve them
- Early research signs that self-improving systems can raise performance while improving efficiency
- Practical challenges in proving gains are real: variance, reward hacking, and separating genuine improvement from noise
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