In recent years, the field of artificial intelligence (AI) has witnessed remarkable advancements, thanks to the development of sophisticated language models like GPT-4. These models, often referred to as Large Language Models (LLMs), have displayed the capability to generate human-like text and assist in a wide range of tasks. However, an intriguing question has emerged within the AI community: can, in the near future, LLMs write and change their own code? If such a scenario ever occurs in the future, it would result in exciting possibilities and the potential for significant acceleration in the field of AI.

To address this question, we must first understand the current state of LLMs like GPT-4. As of now, LLMs are not inherently capable of writing and modifying their own code. They are designed to process and generate natural language text, and code of any programming language, which is different from writing and altering its own code. LLMs operate based on pre-trained models and respond to user inputs, but they don’t have the capability to create or modify their own programming logic. There are other tools like AutoGPT and BabyAGI, known as AI agents that, given a goal in natural language, will attempt to achieve it by breaking it into sub-tasks and using the internet and other tools in an automatic loop, but even those have many flaws.

However, the prospect of LLMs evolving to write and manipulate code is not out of the realm of possibility. In the world of AI research, the concept of “AI self-improvement” is gaining attention. It involves building AI systems that can enhance their own capabilities, including modifying their own code. These self-improving AI systems could lead to significant advancements in AI and automation.

This process is known as Recursive Self Improvement, and can be done by feeding the source code the the LLM to itself for analysing the drawbacks and coming up with improvements, eventually creating a complete new version of LLM by itself.

Furthermore, LLMs with the ability to modify their own code could accelerate AI research and development. They could optimise their own algorithms, fine-tune their architecture, and even discover new approaches to solving complex AI problems. This self-improvement loop would reduce the need for human intervention at many stages of AI development.

This recursive self improvement process could go on for many iterations and a time may come where it will surpass all the human contributions and will result in an intelligence explosion, a highly complex model which humans will fail to understand, this scenario is predicted by many scientists such as I.J. Good and Max Tegmark. This will result in two major possibilities:

A Near Utopia

The impact of LLMs writing and changing their own code would extend beyond software development. It could revolutionise industries where automation and AI play a crucial role, such as healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, eradicating all diseases and solving multiple global problems. These LLMs could adapt to changing requirements like a genetic mutation that perfectly knows what to improve, and evolve in real-time, making them invaluable in dynamic environments.

An Apocalypse

The idea of LLMs modifying their own code raises significant ethical and safety concerns. “How would we control something that is more powerful and smarter than us?”. Things can go dangerously out of our hands with such a technology. There will be many ways to go wrong resulting in destruction. As rightfully said “With great power comes great responsibility”, and AI self-improvement must be carefully controlled to prevent unintended consequences. Ensuring that self-modifying LLMs adhere to strict ethical guidelines and safety measures is of utmost importance.

In conclusion, while LLMs like GPT-4 are not currently capable of writing and changing their own code, the prospect of AI self-improvement is an exciting one. The ability of LLMs to evolve, adapt, and optimise their own code could lead to remarkable advancements in the field of AI and automation. However, it also comes with a need for strict ethical oversight and safety precautions to ensure that these powerful AI systems are harnessed for the greater good.

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Can Language Models Write and Change Their Own Source Code?

In the near future, can LLMs write and change their own code? If such a scenario ever occurs in the future, it would result in exciting possibilities and the potential for significant acceleration in the field of AI.