The Sequence Knowledge - Issue 949: Learning RSI: AI Is Helping Build AI. Who Sets the Agenda?
Inside OpenAI’s research automation—and the scientific judgment that still determines what happens next.
TL;DR
- OpenAI's AI agents now log 3.1 agent-workdays for every 8-hour human workday, a milestone reached by mid-August.
- The crossover point from human labor exceeding agent runtime occurred this summer.
- The cost of running these AI agents is substantial, with median researchers spending over $600 daily on inference at API prices.
- OpenAI defines its automated research intern as a system capable of executing well-defined research tasks under human direction.
- Crucially, humans still determine research priorities, evaluate ideas and results, and decide whether to scale, pause, or deploy research initiatives.