
The Link Between Deep Neural Networks and the Nature of the Universe - netham91
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602344/the-extraordinary-link-between-deep-neural-networks-and-the-nature-of-the-universe
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bbctol
It's an interesting paper, but I really worry that headlines like this veer
into mysticism. The TL;DR is that if we want to understand why neural networks
are so effective, we need to remember that the sets they've been trained to
understand follow a small number of physical laws, as opposed to just focusing
on the abstract math of how NNs work.

That's an interesting perspective (both authors are physicists, without much
experience in NNs per se, although Max Tegmark has long been philosophizing
about the future of AI) but it's not as if neural networks have a particularly
magical key to "the nature of the universe." Original headline said the link
is "extraordinary," when the link is just that... NNs exist in reality.

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gabrielgoh
My article.

The Link Between Quicksort and the Nature of the Universe.

Consider Quicksort. In an array of 100 digits, there are over 10^157 different
permutations, more permutations than there are atoms in the universe. To go
through every permutation, even at a billion permutations per second, would
take longer than the lifetime of the universe. Yet your computer can sort
through an array in milliseconds. Why? At the heart of this mystery, says
Tegmark, lies the true nature of the universe.

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brudgers
Discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12467865](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12467865)

