Phase 1: Self-Improving Systems · ~60 minutes · Python (stdlib · bounded-loop with invariant check)

Bounded Self-Improvement Designs

Research has converged on four primitives for bounding a self-improvement loop.

Hiring signal: Can operate bounded self-improvement designs in production

Introduction

Formal invariants that must hold across every edit. Alignment anchors that cannot be modified. Multi-objective constraints where every dimension (safety, fairness, robustness) must hold, not just performance. Regression detection that pauses the loop when historical metrics suggest capability loss. None of them is a proof of safety — information-theoretic results (Kolmogorov complexity, Lob's theorem) bound what any system can prove about its own successors. They are mitigations that raise the cost of silent failure.

Type: Learn Languages: Python (stdlib, bounded-loop with invariant check) Prerequisites: Phase 15 · 07 (RSI), Phase 15 · 04 (DGM) Time: ~60 minutes

Objective

Learning objectives

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You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers The Problem, The Concept, Build, Check Yourself, Key Terms & Next — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

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