GPT-6 edits Qwen3.5-0.8B weights directly: 0.016% of params changed, math up 6x

khademinori · x · 2026-11-03

Rikiya Takehi's team asked GPT-6 Astra to directly edit Qwen3.5-0.8B weights to improve math. The model changed only 0.016% of weights — no gradients, no training — fixing the 0.8B model's reasoning loops, improving math up to 6x and instruction following 3x.

They call this "Weight-Space Programming": frontier LLMs can natively read and write neural network weights. A follow-up notes the total cost of the work was on the order of $1,000, similar to the original RLM blog a year ago. Full write-up in the linked blog post.

Related event: MIT's Weight-Space Programming: GPT-6 Astra Edits 0.016% of Weights to Boost Small Model Math 6x(49 posts)→

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