
AI systems outperform humans in text-based persuasion, with studies showing they can match or exceed human performance in fundraising. Self-sustaining AI, integrated with physical infrastructure, may be achievable within a decade, but challenges remain in transferring tacit knowledge and maintaining robot reliability. DeepMind suggests that superintelligence could emerge through scaling compute and data, though energy and data limitations may hinder progress.
<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 […]
