#89 – Stephen Wolfram: Cellular Automata, Computation, and Physics
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What is Stephen Wolfram's background and significance?
The following is a conversation with Stephen Wolfram, a computer scientist, mathematician, and theoretical physicist who is the founder and CEO of Wolfram Research, a company behind Mathematica, Wolfram Alpha, Wolfram Language, and the new Wolfram Physics Project. He's the author of several books, including A New Kind of Science, which, on a personal note, was one of the most influential books in my journey in computer science and artificial intelligence. It made me fall in love with the mathematical beauty and power of cellular automata. It is true that perhaps one of the criticisms of Stephen is on a human level, that he has a big ego, which prevents some researchers from fully enjoying the content of his ideas.
We talk about this point in this conversation. To me, ego can lead you astray, but can also be a superpower, one that fuels bold, innovative thinking that refuses to surrender to the cautious ways of academic institutions. And here, especially, I ask you to join me in looking past the peculiarities of human nature and opening your mind to the beauty of ideas in Stephen's work and in this conversation. I believe Stephen Wolfram is one of the most original minds of our time and, at the core, is a kind, curious, and brilliant human being. This conversation was recorded in November 2019 when the Wolfram Physics Project was underway but not yet ready for public exploration as it is now. We now agreed to talk again, probably multiple times in the near future.
So this is round one, and stay tuned for round two soon. This is the Artificial Intelligence Podcast. If you enjoy it, subscribe on YouTube, review it with five stars on Apple Podcasts, support it on Patreon, or simply connect with me on Twitter at Lex Friedman, spelled F-R-I-D-M-A-N. As usual, I'll do a few minutes of ads now and never any ads in the middle that can break the flow of the conversation. I hope that works for you and doesn't hurt the listening experience. Quick summary of the ads. Two sponsors, ExpressVPN and Cash App. Please consider supporting the podcast by getting ExpressVPN at expressvpn.com slash lexpod and downloading Cash App and using code lexpodcast. This show is presented by Cash App, the number one finance app in the App Store.
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How does ego influence scientific research?
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You and your son, Christopher, helped create the alien language in the movie Arrival.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Stephen Wolfram's background and significance?
0:00–3:52
2
How does ego influence scientific research?
3:52–6:26
3
What is the connection between AI and alien communication?
6:26–18:19
4
How do cellular automata relate to complex systems?
18:19–1:38:55
5
What is the role of ego in science and mathematics?
1:38:55–1:43:21
6
How does Stephen Wolfram view the concept of intelligence?
1:43:21–1:47:33
7
What is the significance of Wolfram Language?
1:47:33–1:54:52
8
How does Wolfram Alpha relate to human knowledge?
1:54:52–3:11:16
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from Lex Fridman Podcast
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