First AI Model of the Universe Knows Science it was Never Taught

A new 3D model of the Universe developed by an international team of researchers is fast, accurate, and makes predictions for which it was never programmed. Creators of the system have no idea how the Deep Density Displacement Model (D3M) is able to simulate changes in dark matter it was never taught to calculate.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is modeling astronomical events from supernova explosions to the formation of exoplanets around alien stars. Now, researchers are harnessing the power of AI to model the Universe as a whole, with surprising results. As expected, the model quickly proved itself to be faster and more accurate than previous systems. However, without human operators training D3M to do so, the AI proved itself capable of describing models of the Universe with varying degrees of dark matter, baffling researchers.

A soft glow of light seen in images of the galaxy cluster MACS J0416.1–2403 is the product of stars let loose from their stellar families by the effects of gravity. After leaving their galaxies, the stars aligned within regions dictated by local gravitational forces, which may reveal patterns of dark matter in the Universe. Image credit: NASA, ESA and M. Montes (University of New South Wales)

“It’s like teaching image recognition software with lots of pictures of cats and dogs, but then it’s able to recognize elephants. Nobody knows how it does this, and it’s a great mystery to be solved,” stated Shirley Ho, group leader at the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics and adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University.

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