Scientists have uncovered some evidence that we all might be living inside an advanced AI simulation.
Although The Matrix has floated the idea for years that life may not be all it seems, science is now backing this virtual reality theory more and more.
In his latest research, Melvin Vopson, an associate professor in physics at the University of Portsmouth, said that gravity may be the key sign that we're all living in a virtual simulation. He theorises that the invisible force pulling everything down on Earth is also trying to keep a vast amount of data organised.
Calling our universe the 'ultimate computer,' Professor Vopson claims gravity could be the universe’s way of managing information, keeping things tidy and running smoothly.
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"The universe evolves in a way that the information content in it is compressed, optimised and organised – just as computers and computer code do," he explained. "Hence, gravity appears to be another process of data compression in a possibly simulated universe."
But this whole simulation theory isn't new and not an uncommon one either.
In 2003, University of Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrum first proposed the argument that we are 'almost certainly' living in a computer simulation.
Now, popular figures such as Tesla billionaire Elon Musk have supported the idea of an AI simulation.
Published in AIP Advances, Professor Vopson's new study reports that gravitational attraction helps to reduce 'information entropy' – which defines how much information there is in an object in a given space.
Spread across the 93 billion-years diameter, gravity has many roles in space, including building entire galaxies and pulling planets into orbit.
Instead of seeing gravity purely as a force pulling things together, Vopson sees it as the universe’s way of tidying up and staying organised. "To put it simply, it is easier to compute all the properties and characteristics of a single object in space, rather than multiple objects,' he added. "That is why objects in space are pulled together."
The expert argues that information has mass and that even the smallest particles of the universe (called elementary particles) carry data, much like how DNA does in living cells. Additionally, he thinks bits - the unit of digital information - have their own mass and energy that could have huge implications for computing, physics and cosmology.
Explaining his results, Professor Vopson said: "My findings in this study fit with the thought that the universe might work like a giant computer, or our reality is a simulated construct."