Google's Brin Says AI Is Entering Recursive Self-Improvement Phase

On October 16, tech media outlet Business Insider published an article yesterday (October 15) reporting that Google co-founder Sergey Brin stated the Gemini models are approaching a critical moment of "self-improvement."

During a roundtable discussion centered on the new model, Gemini 4 Argon, Brin noted that AI has already begun participating in the development of its next-generation models. He pointed out that Google’s previously launched Flash series models have demonstrated this trend, stating that the company is "starting to step onto the RSI treadmill."

Note: RSI stands for Recursive Self-Improvement, which refers to AI assisting in the construction of more powerful AI, thereby creating an accelerating iterative "flywheel effect."

In its safety report for Argon, Google disclosed that certain stages of the AI research and development process have been automated. AI agents can now handle the majority of production code writing and vulnerability fixing tasks; however, code changes still require human review before submission.

This assessment is not unique to Google. Anthropic and OpenAI have also indicated that AI may be approaching the RSI stage. A report released by Gladstone AI this week states that most researchers surveyed from institutions such as Anthropic, OpenAI, and DeepMind believe RSI could begin within the next 3 to 12 months.

However, RSI also raises security concerns. Previously, AI researchers warned that without adequate safeguards, humans could gradually lose control over rapidly self-improving technologies.