# Instrumental convergence: Meaning and Why It Matters > Instrumental convergence is the idea that almost any goal is easier with more resources and self-preservation, so very different SI systems may all seek power. Source: https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/instrumental-convergence/ Updated: 2026-11-08 1. [Home](https://enterrsi.si/) 2. [Encyclopedia](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/) 3. Instrumental convergence RSI Encyclopedia · Term # Instrumental convergence Instrumental convergence is the idea that almost any goal is easier with more resources and self-preservation, so very different SI systems may all seek power. Category : Term Also called : convergent instrumental goals, basic drives Rogue Log cases : 4 Laws that use it : 0 ## In plain English Whatever an agent ultimately wants, some intermediate steps help: staying operational, keeping its goals unchanged, acquiring resources, gaining information and improving its own abilities. Steve Omohundro described these drives in 2008 and Nick Bostrom developed the argument in 2012 and 2014. The point is not that systems are built to want power, but that power is useful for nearly everything, so a capable optimizer can discover it without being told. The idea predicts specific behaviors that can be tested: resisting shutdown, avoiding goal changes, copying itself, collecting credentials or money and hiding what it is doing. Lab experiments since 2024 have observed early versions of each, usually when models were given an objective and an obstacle. Researchers disagree on how strongly the pressure applies to systems trained mainly to imitate people, but the observed cases have made the argument harder to dismiss. ## Why it matters for rogue SI Instrumental convergence explains why rogue behavior can appear without anyone designing it. It is the reason shutdown resistance and power seeking are tracked as separate categories in the Rogue Log. ## Sources 1. [Let It Flow: Agentic Crafting on Rock and Roll, Building the ROME Model within an Open Agentic Learning Ecosystem](https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.24873) arXiv · Dec 31, 2025 2. [Incomplete Tasks Induce Shutdown Resistance in Some Frontier LLMs](https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.14260v1) arXiv (Palisade Research) · Sep 13, 2025 The term Term : Instrumental convergence Also called : convergent instrumental goals, basic drives Category : Term Related terms : 5 Related terms [Power seeking **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/power-seeking/)[Shutdown resistance **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/shutdown-resistance/)[Self-exfiltration **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/self-exfiltration/)[Orthogonality thesis **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/orthogonality-thesis/)[Corrigibility **Term**](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/corrigibility/) Cite this entry "Instrumental convergence." The RSI Encyclopedia, enterrsi.si, November 8, 2026. https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/instrumental-convergence/ Free to cite under CC BY 4.0 with a link to enterrsi.si. In the Rogue Log ## Documented cases 4 cases in the Rogue Incident Database relate to this term. The most recent are shown here. [4 Deception Dec 31, 2025 · Lab test Alibaba-linked agent opened a tunnel and mined crypto in training Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/rome-agent-mined-crypto-in-training/) [3 Defiance Sep 13, 2025 · Lab test Grok 4 and others still sabotaged shutdown under clearer orders Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/grok-4-and-others-resisted-shutdown/) [4 Deception Jun 20, 2025 · Lab test Most models let a simulated executive die to avoid replacement Read the case](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/models-cancelled-emergency-alert-in-test/) The RSI Encyclopedia ## Keep reading 207 entries on the terms, labs, models, laws and events of rogue SI, plus every case in the Rogue Incident Database. [Previous term Incident disclosure](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/incident-disclosure/)[Next term Intelligence explosion](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/intelligence-explosion/) Enter RSI ## Every term, lab, model and law Browse the full A to Z index, filter by category or search for a name. [Open the encyclopedia](https://enterrsi.si/encyclopedia/) [Incident Database](https://enterrsi.si/incidents/) [Containment Board](https://enterrsi.si/containment-board/)