Generalising from Self-Produced Data: Model Training Beyond Human Constraints

Current large language models (LLMs) are constrained by human-derived training data and limited by a single level of abstraction that impedes definitive truth judgments. This paper introduces a novel framework in which AI models autonomously generate and validate new knowledge through direct interaction with their environment. Central to this approach is an unbounded, ungamable numeric reward - such as annexed disk space or follower count - that guides learning without requiring human benchmarks. AI agents iteratively generate strategies and executable code to maximize this metric, with successful outcomes forming the basis for self-retraining and incremental generalisation. To mitigate model collapse and the warm start problem, the framework emphasizes empirical validation over textual similarity and supports fine-tuning via GRPO. The system architecture employs modular agents for environment analysis, strategy generation, and code synthesis, enabling scalable experimentation. This work outlines a pathway toward self-improving AI systems capable of advancing beyond human-imposed constraints toward autonomous general intelligence.

Establishing Performance Baselines in Fine-Tuning, Retrieval-Augmented Generation and Soft-Prompting for Non-Specialist LLM Users

Research into methods for improving the performance of large language models (LLMs) through fine-tuning, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) and soft-prompting has tended to focus on the use of highly technical or high-cost techniques, making many of the newly discovered approaches comparatively inaccessible to non-technical users. In this paper we tested an unmodified version of GPT 3.5, a fine-tuned version, and the same unmodified model when given access to a vectorised RAG database, both in isolation and in combination with a basic, non-algorithmic soft prompt. In each case we tested the model's ability to answer a set of 100 questions relating primarily to events that occurred after September 2021 (the point at which GPT 3.5's training data set ends). We found that if commercial platforms are used and default settings are applied with no iteration in order to establish a baseline set of outputs, a fine-tuned model outperforms GPT 3.5 Turbo, while the RAG approach out-performed both. The application of a soft prompt significantly improved the performance of each approach.