"When we think about the future, we are confronted by a vast array of possibilities," explains Assistant Professor Mile Gu of NTU Singapore, who led development of the quantum algorithm that underpins the prototype "These possibilities grow exponentially as we go deeper into the future. For instance, even if we have only two possibilities to choose from each minute, in less than half an hour there are 14 million possible futures. In less than a day, the number exceeds the number of atoms in the universe." What he and his research group realised, however, was that a quantum computer can examine all possible futures by placing them in a quantum superposition – similar to Schrödinger's famous cat, which is simultaneously alive and dead.
To realise this scheme, they joined forces with the experimental group led by Professor Geoff Pryde at Griffith University. Together, the team implemented a specially devised photonic quantum information processor in which the potential future outcomes of a decision process are represented by the locations of photons – quantum particles of light. They then demonstrated that the state of the quantum device was a superposition of multiple potential futures, weighted by their probability of occurrence.
Will they call it the "Omega 13 Device?"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @09:37AM (1 child)
And what do they call this machine? LSD (or maybe "dealer", I can't remember because, dude, it was crazy and I was lit).
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Wednesday April 10 2019, @10:13AM
Are you Walter or Belly?
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @11:23AM (4 children)
every next second is 50-50. it's up to you to decide which two outcomes you wanna bet on...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @11:49AM (1 child)
1) don't gamble with that outlook
2) take a statistics and probabilities course
3) people are quite predictable, creatures of habit
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @03:54PM
Depends on the offered game. If I get a possible winning of a million dollars versus a possible loss of one dollar, I'll happily bet on a 50-50 chance. Even multiple times.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @12:17PM (1 child)
So, are you saying I should take the blue pill? The red pill?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @03:59PM
Both at the same time. Snort them. [xkcd.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 10 2019, @03:46PM
Hmm, could also be based on the IBM-5200. Hopefully they can build a working divergence meter.
(Score: 1) by Rupert Pupnick on Wednesday April 10 2019, @06:09PM (2 children)
Why is this news?
And what is this talk of measuring “bias”?
Could be the biggest thing since the discovery of phlogiston!
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Wednesday April 10 2019, @08:05PM
Take your average shooting (school, mall, ...)
The position of the fleeing people is a probability-adjusted superposition of all possible trajectories of the gunman.
And he doesn't get to publish it in serious scientific journals !
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 11 2019, @08:04AM
That seems easy to me: by measuring some event in all possible futures, scientists can examine a journalists' claims for veracity all over the multiverse. A publication's "bias" can then be measured based on the probability that the stated claim is untrue in our current universe.