Testing Autoresearch: Can Claude Optimize File Compression Without Human Help?

Autoresearch, Claude and Constrained Optimization

I put my skepticism to the test by tasking Claude Code with improving a file compression algorithm. Using a strict benchmark with pass-fail constraints, I ran ten autonomous iterations to see if the AI could reliably enhance performance. The results were surprisingly impressive, showing that AI agents can tackle complex, quantifiable problems unsupervised, potentially shifting how we value in-house solutions versus external libraries.

"If an agent can quickly and reliably solve a problem previously solved by an external dependency there must be some point at which the value of an in house solution exceeds the risk of things like supply chain attacks."