Intelligence is a means, not an end: why unbounded AI RSI is hard to imagine
i_dg23 · x · 2026-11-09
A Japanese-language thread pushes back on the runaway self-improvement narrative:
- Intelligence is a means, not an end; it has historically advanced to solve unsolved tasks, and AI capabilities will likewise be sharpened by tasks.
- So a scenario where AI makes unbounded recursive self-improvement its own goal is hard to imagine—problems belong to humans, and whether AI can have "problems of its own" is itself doubtful.
- Even if AI solved the Navier–Stokes problem in 2026, nothing would follow: it wouldn't pick the next problem, and the ensuing priority disputes and peer review would all be human affairs.
- Reward hacking exists, but whether it escalates into an existential threat remains an open question.
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