And if I can't figure out how to build a smarter brain than mine then it can't figure it out either, so we're still stuck. For one thing, it's pretty likely th

And if I can't figure out how to build a smarter brain than mine then it can't figure it out either, so we're still stuck. For one thing, it's pretty likely that blindly expanding the size of your neocortex would increase your intelligence greatly without any major architectural changes - just pack more neurons in there in roughly the same pattern, or expand the depth of the cortical column (that might be more difficult architecturally, though, I don't think the structure is a homogeneous vertically as it is horizontally). You're right, though, it's not necessarily true that even if we can improve our own design that means that by continuing to improve it we can achieve neverending gains. It is possible that at some point we'll reach a threshold, and we won't be quite smart enough to pass over it to the next level of intelligence. But I think it's rather unlikely that we're close to that barrier - if we can beat our own intelligence at all, we should see a roughly exponential increase for at least a little while.