The Sequence Opinion #892: The Anatomy of a Good Environment: When Verifiability is Not Enough

The article proposes that a domain’s suitability for AI development depends on more than just verifiability. It suggests that domains where AI has excelled, such as math and code, score high on multiple properties simultaneously. Conversely, areas like computer use and robotics, which have seen slower progress, often have weaknesses in some of these crucial properties.

• The Sequence has been operating for over two years without sponsors.
• The author believes verifiability is only one aspect of what makes a domain good for AI development.
• Domains where AI capability compounds are likely high on multiple properties.
• Areas with disappointing AI progress often score well on some properties but fail on others.
• This framework helps explain why AI advanced rapidly in math and code before tackling tasks like email processing.
• The article aims to explore these properties in detail, contrasting domains that possess them with those that lack them.
  https://bender.layer3.press/articles/9965eb82-7b19-49c2-a4fe-ee4e1a6c4214