As you say, humans can certainly improve their means of self improvement. They do that by things like learning lanugages, learning thinking tools, and inventing new thinking tools that are then passed down the generations.
IMO, those who want “recursive self improvement” to refer to something that doesn’t yet exist must tie themselves in knots with counter-intuitive and non-literal conceptions of what that phrase means.
As you say, humans can certainly improve their means of self improvement. They do that by things like learning lanugages, learning thinking tools, and inventing new thinking tools that are then passed down the generations.
IMO, those who want “recursive self improvement” to refer to something that doesn’t yet exist must tie themselves in knots with counter-intuitive and non-literal conceptions of what that phrase means.