Does Software Have to Be This Dumb? ? A Journey Towards Lifetime Self-Improvement

When a young bird takes flight for the first time, it struggles—but each flight gets better. Students, too, improve as they practice math or write papers. Yet in the world of computing, something strange happens: no matter how many times a program runs, it doesn’t get better. The millionth run of a software package is usually no smarter than the first.

Why is that?

 

Why do programs remain static while humans—and even birds—learn and adapt?

In this talk, we’ll explore why traditional software is stuck in this rut, and how the rise of modern AI might break these limits. We’ll look at how AI can enable programs to learn, adapt, and even improve themselves over time—potentially revolutionizing the way we build and interact with software.