
AI systems are advancing in their ability to automate research and development, with significant progress in tasks like coding, testing, and optimization, and are expected to achieve full automation by 2028. This shift enables AI to independently refine its own research, leading to unprecedented advancements in AI capabilities. Benchmarks such as SWE-Bench and METR demonstrate AI's growing proficiency in complex tasks, while tools like CORE-Bench and MLE-Bench highlight its ability to reproduce research and compete in competitions. Additionally, AI is improving its training efficiency and optimization processes, showing promising trends in automated AI development.
<img width="150" height="150" src="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-VIkdsj.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-VIkdsj.png?w=258&ssl=1 258w, https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-VIkdsj.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-VIkdsj.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 200w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3216" data-permalink="https://jack-clark.net/2026/08/10/import-ai-468-23-rsi-ideas-posttrainbench-and-how-trust-and-transparency-interplay-with-ai-racing/import-ai-468-23-rsi-ideas-posttrainbench-and-how-trust-and-transparency-interplay-with-ai-racing-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-VIkdsj.png?fit=258%2C258&ssl=1" data-orig-size="258,258" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Import AI 468: 23 RSI ideas; PostTrainBench+; and how trust and transparency interplay with AI racing" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-VIkdsj.png?fit=258%2C258&ssl=1" />Welcome to Import AI, a newsletter about AI research. Import AI runs on arXiv, cappuccinos, and feedback from readers. If you’d like to support this, please subscribe. Subscribe now Want to be able to deal with RSI? Here are 23 actionable policy ideas:…IFP serves up some “low-regret” policy recommendations…Policy experts with think tank IFP have […]

<img width="150" height="150" src="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-2OSHWi.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-2OSHWi.png?w=258&ssl=1 258w, https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-2OSHWi.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-2OSHWi.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 200w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3205" data-permalink="https://jack-clark.net/2026/08/03/import-ai-467-self-sustaining-ai-viruses-pacing-ai-progress-confusion-about-ai-and-creativity/import-ai-467-self-sustaining-ai-viruses-pacing-ai-progress-confusion-about-ai-and-creativity-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-2OSHWi.png?fit=258%2C258&ssl=1" data-orig-size="258,258" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Import AI 467: Self-sustaining AI viruses; pacing AI progress; confusion about AI and creativity" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-2OSHWi.png?fit=258%2C258&ssl=1" />Welcome to Import AI, a newsletter about AI research. Import AI runs on arXiv, cappuccinos, and feedback from readers. If you’d like to support this, please subscribe. Subscribe now Self-sustaining and self-replicating AI viruses are here:…Open weight LLMs + a well-designed harness = a persistent, self-sufficient virus…AI researchers have built a prototype computer virus which […]

<img width="150" height="150" src="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-MrVmhb.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-MrVmhb.png?w=258&ssl=1 258w, https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-MrVmhb.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1 150w, https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-MrVmhb.png?resize=200%2C200&ssl=1 200w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" data-attachment-id="3200" data-permalink="https://jack-clark.net/2026/07/27/import-ai-466-the-bitter-lesson-for-robotics-ais-complete-week-long-programming-tasks-and-openais-accidental-ai-hacker/import-ai-466-the-bitter-lesson-for-robotics-ais-complete-week-long-programming-tasks-and-openais-accidental-ai-hacker-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-MrVmhb.png?fit=258%2C258&ssl=1" data-orig-size="258,258" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0","alt":""}" data-image-title="Import AI 466: The bitter lesson for robotics, AIs complete week-long programming tasks; and OpenAI&#8217;s accidental AI hacker" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/jack-clark.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/https3A2F2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com2Fpublic2Fimages2Fd6d17996-2bef-40a4-abe3-be72a0e8a227_258x258-MrVmhb.png?fit=258%2C258&ssl=1" />Welcome to Import AI, a newsletter about AI research. Import AI runs on arXiv, cappuccinos, and feedback from readers. If you’d like to support this, please subscribe. Subscribe now Epoch and METR release MirrorCode, a benchmark for seeing how well AI systems can do long-horizon programming tasks:…AI systems can’t solve the hardest tasks yet (good!)…Epoch […]
