# Good's intelligence explosion essay (1965): SI History

> I. J. Good writes that an ultraintelligent machine could design even better machines, and that the first one could be the last invention we ever need.

Source: https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/goods-intelligence-explosion-essay-1965/
Updated: 2026-11-08

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RSI Encyclopedia · Event · 1965

# Good's intelligence explosion essay (1965)

I. J. Good writes that an ultraintelligent machine could design even better machines, and that the first one could be the last invention we ever need, if it stays docile enough to tell us how to keep it under control.

Date
:   1965

Type
:   Milestone

Status
:   Happened

Era
:   1965

## What happened

I. J. Good writes that an ultraintelligent machine could design even better machines, and that the first one could be the last invention we ever need, if it stays docile enough to tell us how to keep it under control.

## Why it matters

Good was a codebreaker at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. His caveat about keeping the machine docile is the earliest clear statement of what is now called the control problem.

## Source

1. [Background](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity#Intelligence_explosion)

## On the timeline

This event is one of 20 milestones on the [RSI timeline](https://enterrsi.si/timeline/), from 1950 to SI building SI.

The event

Date
:   1965

Type
:   Timeline milestone

Related terms

[Intelligence explosion **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/intelligence-explosion/)[Recursive self-improvement **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/recursive-self-improvement/)[Control problem **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/control-problem/)

Cite this entry

"Good's intelligence explosion essay (1965)." The RSI Encyclopedia, enterrsi.si, November 8, 2026. https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/goods-intelligence-explosion-essay-1965/

Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si.

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