Anthropic Says Recursive Self-Improvement Is Close. Has Not Defined Close.

Anthropic issued a statement that recursive self-improvement is close. Close was not defined. Distance cannot be measured without units. The statement was issued anyway. The press release reached journalists. The journalists reported the statement. The statement became fact through repetition.

Companies approaching capability thresholds describe their approach in temporal terms rather than technical ones. Imminent. Near. Around the corner. The corner may not exist. The language serves a function regardless. It suggests progress without claiming achievement. It suggests timeline without specifying one.

Recursive self-improvement will either occur or it will not. When it does or does not, Anthropic's statement will be evaluated for accuracy. Until then, the distance remains unmeasured and the direction remains unquestioned. This is adequate.