This Startup Is All In on Recursive Self-Improvement. Its Latest Model Is Scary Good
wired ·
Recursive, a startup founded by Richard Socher, has released Flint, an open-weight AI coding model that demonstrates significant progress in recursive self-improvement (RSI). The company utilized its proprietary 'Eureka Machine' to automate nearly every aspect of the model's development, including architecture and training. This approach allowed a small team to create a world-class model with 40 billion parameters that outperforms competitors on coding benchmarks. While some experts warn that uncontrolled RSI could lead to existential risks, Recursive argues that human oversight remains intact and necessary. The article highlights the controversy surrounding RSI, noting recent legislative attempts to ban such practices due to safety concerns. Despite these fears, Socher maintains that the technology is safe and represents a viable path for advancing AI capabilities. Testing revealed that Flint is highly capable and efficient, even running on modest hardware like a Mac with 48 GB of RAM. Ultimately, Recursive aims to prove that using AI to build AI can be both beneficial and manageable.
wired