Jim Gates (S James Gates Jr.) is a theoretical physicist and professor at Brown University working on supersymmetry, supergravity, and superstring theory. He served on former President Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He is the co-author of a new book titled Proving Einstein Right about the scientists who set out to prove Einstein's theory of relativity. This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon. This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code "LexPodcast". Episode Links: Proving Einstein Right (book) Here's the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time. 00:00 - Introduction 03:13 - Will we ever venture outside our solar system? 05:16 - When will the first human step foot on Mars? 11:14 - Are we alone in the universe? 13:55 - Most beautiful idea in physics 16:29 - Can the mind be digitized? 21:15 - Does the possibility of superintelligence excite you? 22:25 - Role of dreaming in creativity and mathematical thinking 30:51 - Existential threats 31:46 - Basic particles underlying our universe 41:28 - What is supersymmetry? 52:19 - Adinkra symbols 1:00:24 - String theory 1:07:02 - Proving Einstein right and experimental validation of general relativity 1:19:07 - Richard Feynman 1:22:01 - Barack Obama's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology 1:30:20 - Exciting problems in physics that are just within our reach 1:31:26 - Mortality
Using Cash App for the first time will result in a $10 donation to FIRST, an organization inspiring young people to consider engineering as a field. The speaker explores whether current spaceship designs will be used for interstellar travel.
The universe and our ability to understand its structure is beyond what we could have imagined, considering our limited intellectual capacity. In the future, there is a possibility for humans to colonize Mars and potentially recognize alien life forms.
The speaker argues that it's likely AI will eventually develop consciousness as the architecture that supports consciousness has no patent on it, and it's really about the data streams. However, building a super version of the internet may be necessary to achieve this.
The second mode of creativity is triggered by suffering and dreaming, leading to the most effective solutions for complex problems. This type of creativity is necessary for technical problem-solving.
The author of the article is a physicist.
The existence of gravitational waves has now been proven, but in order to confirm the existence of gravitons we must demonstrate that these waves carry energy in energy packets. The seemingly coincidental arrangement of the forces ordering them from weakest to strongest, similarly poses a mystery.
The podcast episode talks about the connection between symmetry in the universe and advanced mathematics, and how by breaking those balances one can gain creatures like humans and objects like planets and stars.
Einstein's equations of general relativity differ from Newton's equations describing gravity and all the data in a certain class of equations can be put in pictures. General relativity found out that gravity has the same effect on light as that glass of water.
Mathematician Dianne O'Leary explains how unsolvable equations actually have error correcting codes buried in them, which can be useful for sending data through noisy communication channels.
String theory has influenced our understanding of mathematics and elementary particles, and supersymmetry is a crucial aspect of it. However, it is important to note that the term "theory" can be misleading in the context of string theory.
An author and mathematician collaborate on a book that explores the emotional side of science and the beauty of mathematics, discussing Einstein's predictions and the human journey to prove them right.
The observations and evidence supporting the theory of general relativity and the radical nature of this theory can inspire future physicists, and if other related concepts are born out, these can be the first powerful observationally-based pieces of evidence that will advance physics like the Eddington Expedition of 1919.
The speaker has witnessed a politician internalizing information in real-time, leading to profound insights on complicated topics never seen before, including artificial intelligence.
In this podcast episode, the speaker reflects on the importance of using time wisely to make the world a better place for someone else. A mention of a STEM education nonprofit is made, with a donation incentive attached.