Will AI ever grasp quantum mechanics? Don't bet on it

Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving fast—faster than many of us ever imagined. It can diagnose diseases from images, write complex computer programs, predict market trends and help simulate the birth of galaxies in just a few seconds.

- NISHANT SAHDEV

Artificial intelligence (AI) is moving fast—faster than many of us ever imagined. It can diagnose diseases from images, write complex computer programs, predict market trends and help simulate the birth of galaxies in just a few seconds. It would not be a joke to say one day it will find the final secrets of the universe—perhaps even of quantum mechanics (QM), that most puzzling theory in modern physics.

As a physicist, I've used AI tools myself and been impressed by what they can do in seconds—things that used to take us years and huge amounts of funding. But I have a big doubt: AI may never truly 'understand' quantum mechanics. One might think that cracking the most mysterious theory in modern physics should not be difficult for AI, which is already helping scientists solve complicated equations and design quantum computers. But I am not so sure. And it's not about the power or programming. It's about something AI doesn't have: consciousness.

Let me take you back to my student days. I was sitting in a quantum physics lecture, listening to my professor talk about the famous double-slit experiment. It showed something interesting: tiny particles like electrons behave like waves—until we try to observe them. The moment we 'watch,' their behaviour changes. This strange result led to a shocking idea: the act of observing something can change reality itself. This is just like a person at a gathering who behaves freely when unobserved but changes behaviour once noticed. Similarly, electrons act like waves when not observed but change to particle-like behaviour upon measurement.