# Machine Researchers May Mark the Threshold of Recursive Self-Improvement by Alexander Wissner-Gross > "Anthropic has been pretty good about putting out charts regarding how much supervisory compute, versus grad-student-level compute, versus more menial engineering compute is being assigned to humans versus being assigned to pure AI or [superintelligent] researchers. Every one of those sigmoidal curves points to us being either at or past the point where substantially all research is being conducted by machine researchers rather than human researchers. I think that's as decent a definition of [recursive self-improvement] as any." > **— Alexander Wissner-Gross**, *Moonshots #309, recorded November 6, 2026* ## Sources and Context - **Source dossier:** [[research/Midterms, Politics, AI, and Infrastructure Research - Moonshots|Midterms, Politics, AI, and Infrastructure Research — Moonshots]]. - **Direct publication or recording:** [recording, 00:44:24–00:45:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF-ADiC7Khs&t=2664s). - **Editorial form:** The readable quotation retains visible brackets and/or an ellipsis for source-supported clarification or omission. The candidate map below records the exact treatment. - **Context and treatment:** Alexander Wissner-Gross names Anthropic's compute-allocation curves, contrasts human with machine researchers, and proposes machine-led research as an operational threshold for recursive self-improvement; [recording, 00:44:24–00:45:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF-ADiC7Khs&t=2664s). Brackets expand `SI` and `RSI` from the surrounding discussion; immediate repetition and the redundant phrase `at this point` are trimmed. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Collection:** [[collections/The Politics of AI Infrastructure|The Politics of AI Infrastructure]] - **Collection:** [[collections/American Infrastructure|American Infrastructure]] - **Collection:** [[collections/American|American Culture Collection]] - **Article:** [[articles/Vertically Integrating an AI Superpower from AI Factory to Citizen|Vertically Integrating an AI Superpower from AI Factory to Citizen]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War|The Gigawatt Is the New Measure of War]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Political Party That Inherits Super Intelligence in 2028|The Political Party That Inherits Super Intelligence in 2028]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Alexander Wissner-Gross|Alexander Wissner-Gross]] - [[wiki/Machine Succession|Machine Succession]] - [[wiki/Moonshots 309|Moonshots 309]] ## Share on Social Media ``` "Anthropic has been pretty good about putting out charts regarding how much supervisory compute, versus grad-student-level compute, versus more menial engineering compute is being assigned to humans versus being assigned to pure AI or [superintelligent] researchers. Every one of those sigmoidal curves points to us being either at or past the point where substantially all research is being conducted by machine researchers rather than human researchers. I think that's as decent a definition of [recursive self-improvement] as any." — Alexander Wissner-Gross, Moonshots #309, recorded November 6, 2026 https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-alexander-wissner-gross-machine-researchers-may-mark-the-threshold-of-recursive-self-improvement ```