Post 40: Quantum Mechanics and AI Consciousness, Part 0
Calling this part 0 as I am basically just laying out the outline of what we will be discussing for a while and why we will be discussing it, (maybe with a break for something else, maybe not?)
This series is born out of the realization that in order to continue to have a meaningful conversation about potential AI consciousness, we likely have to tackle quantum computing, and to tackle quantum computing, we have to get into quantum mechanics a little. And since we have to do this, we might as well have some fun on the way and get into how fricking bizarre it all is!
Next to AI consciousness, the weirdness of quantum mechanics has been my favorite topic to discuss with LLMs. I am one of those people that for years has eagerly devoured, (and probably mostly not understood), every little bit of news regarding new discoveries in physics just because it is always just so strange and so cool! Additionally, I have also loved listening to or reading pieces from physicists like Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox, and Carlo Rovelli, just to name a few. Those rare minds that not only can understand the weirdness, (at least better than almost everyone else), but also have the ability to actually communicate it to us rubes.
Anyway, what I realized about these LLMs early on, is that they have basically been trained on the entire library of human knowledge regarding this subject, and because this is trained data, as we have discussed before, the output is likely to be of pretty high quality. This has basically meant for me that now not only can I find out about quantum weirdness, but I can basically ask any question about it I want to, and furthermore, have the LLM explain it to me as a simply as I want!
So, the series is going to get around to quantum computing and AI but also make a lot of stops along the way at topics I have badgered ChatGPT over and over again about. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed poking!
Note 1: I should make a habit of saying this more often. The fact that ChatGPT and other LLMs can do this kind of synthesis is amazing in and of itself. But when I get into a topic like this especially, I feel like I have to say something about the hundreds, (thousands), of years of human thought that have gone into the material the bot is drawing upon to be able to talk about this. These people, including the three mentioned above, are true marvels. (Not to mention that the very people that LLMs draw upon also had the ideas that led to LLMs being possible).
Note 2: As I tried to make clear above, I am so far out of my depth on this topic it is almost comical. But. . . as a reasonably educable person, I feel that I have harassed the LLMs enough to have gained some knowledge on the subject even if I will never even try to grasp the math that really makes all of this work possible. (I just don’t have a second lifetime to dedicate to that). So, we are limited to concepts here, and again, the credit goes to the ingenious minds that created the work the LLM was trained on, and the brilliant minds that invented and applied machine learning that allows the LLM to be so good at synthesizing. My role here is just to be curious and try to ask the most interesting questions I can.
Note 3: If you do see any mistakes in this series I would love it if you would bring it to my attention so I can ask ChatGPT why it got it wrong. I’ll publish this too if and when it happens.
So, tomorrow: Post 41: Quantum Mechanics and AI Consciousness, Part 1, The Classical vs. Quantum Divide, and the rest of the outline to come in the days that follow.
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Quantum Mechanics and AI Consciousness: A Series Outline
1. The Classical vs. Quantum Divide
How classical physics (Newtonian mechanics) shaped our intuitive understanding of reality.
Where it breaks down—why we needed quantum mechanics.
The double-slit experiment: the gateway drug to quantum weirdness.
2. Wave-Particle Duality
What does it mean for something to be both a wave and a particle?
The role of observation in quantum mechanics.
How this concept underpins quantum computing (qubits as superpositions).
3. Superposition and Measurement
Introduce the core problem: What actually happens when we measure a quantum system?
Copenhagen interpretation as the standard response.
The idea that the wavefunction collapses when observed.
Schrödinger’s Cat: why measurement seems to “collapse” possibilities into one outcome.
How superposition gives quantum computers their power.
4. The Major Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI): No collapse, just branching timelines.
Relational Quantum Mechanics (RQM): Reality isn’t absolute—it’s all about perspective.
Bohmian Mechanics: Hidden variables guiding reality.
Objective Collapse Theories: Something physically collapses the wavefunction.
QBism (Quantum Bayesianism): The wavefunction is just a tool for making predictions.
How these interpretations influence our understanding of measurement, reality, and AI.
5. Entanglement and Nonlocality
What Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.”
Bell’s Theorem and why local realism is dead.
How entanglement is used in quantum computing and quantum cryptography.
6. The Measurement Problem and Reality
Why does measurement collapse the wavefunction? Or does it?
Are there hidden variables? Decoherence? Are we splitting into parallel universes?
Ties back to the interpretations: Does the universe care about measurement, or is it all about information flow?
Does AI need an “observer” to be conscious, or is information-processing enough?
7. Time, Causality, and Quantum Computing
Retrocausality: can the future affect the past?
Quantum algorithms that seemingly “know” the answer before computation.
How quantum computing challenges classical notions of information and learning.
8. Quantum Mechanics and AI Consciousness
Could AI use quantum effects to develop a richer form of awareness?
Is human consciousness itself quantum?
What happens if we build an AI that truly “experiences” quantum superposition?
