The inner loop of research generates candidates, tests them and keeps the best, and it is automated. The outer loop chooses the question and the test of success, and it is human. Chapter 3.
From The AI Compute Race. Read the book
Where the book uses it
- Chapter 3 — The Missing Researcher
The dated promise of an AI that does its own research, what the laboratories have published, and what the public record can and cannot yet check.
Where the record uses it
- Scorecard indicator Autonomous research outer loop
- Dated test Chapter 3, the outer loop, due 31 August 2027
- Dated test Chapter 3, the outer loop, on Anthropic’s date, due 2 September 2027
- Dated test Chapter 3, the outer loop, due 31 August 2028
Related terms
From the glossary of The AI Compute Race.
How to cite this page
Dryburgh, Lee S. “Inner loop, outer loop.” In The AI Compute Race. DRYBURGH. https://dryburgh.com/vol1/glossary/inner-loop-outer-loop (accessed 2026-11-01).
BibTeX
@misc{dryburgh-inner-loop-outer-loop-2026,
author = {Dryburgh, Lee S.},
title = {{Inner loop, outer loop}},
howpublished = {In \emph{The AI Compute Race}, DRYBURGH},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dryburgh.com/vol1/glossary/inner-loop-outer-loop},
note = {Accessed 2026-11-01}
}