GPTing The Second Law of Infodynamics
It’s probably safe to say few have heard of the Second Law of Infodynamics.
It has an intimidating name that’s not exactly built for memetic conquest.
And it’s brand new. So recent (published 2022) that it falls outside the training window for GPT.
But the essence of its baseline assertion is one of the most exciting challenges to our obsolete working-theory-about-the-nature-of-reality.
And since worldviews create worlds, I think the Second Law of Infodynamics is something that people interested in systemic paradigm shift should try to understand.
Easier said than done.
This is the elevator pitch from the Law’s originator, Dr. Melvin Vopson:
“Its name is an analogy to the second law of thermodynamics, which describes the time evolution of the physical entropy of an isolated system, which requires the entropy to remain constant or to increase over time. In contrast to the second law of thermodynamics…
…the second law of infodynamics states that the information entropy of systems containing information states must remain constant or decrease over time, reaching a certain minimum value at equilibrium. This surprising observation has massive implications for all branches of science and technology.”
Unfortunately for us non-physicists, that’s as basic as it gets.
Hence GPT.
My go-to utility for the robot is to help me ingest technical papers — formulae and diagrams included— and output layman summaries of their innovations.
I also prompt it to tell stories and draw images from the content.
Watching the AI grind out thematically-accurate pictorial renditions of complex theories about the nature of reality is kind of… like watching someone do art on psychedelics.
So with the Second Law of Infodynamics, I had my GPT4 do both. The summary was workable and basic, and definitely adds a serviceable portal into the genius and potential of the Law.
But when I asked it to create a visual narrative based on its worldview, things got… spooky.
First, however, here is the official GPT4 summary output of the seminal paper published by Dr. Vopson:
GPT: The Second Law of Infodynamics is a fascinating concept that can help us understand why our world and the universe-at-large are organized the way they are. Here’s a more accessible explanation:
The Role of Symmetry: Have you ever noticed how often symmetry appears in nature, like the mirror-image wings of a butterfly or the circular ripples in a pond? The Second Law of Infodynamics might explain why. It suggests that systems with high symmetry, which are neat and balanced, have less “information entropy” or disorder. In other words, nature seems to favor arrangements that are simple and ordered, reducing complexity.
Cosmic Balance: As the universe expands, it’s like a balloon inflating, with space itself getting bigger. This law says that as physical disorder (what scientists call “entropy”) increases with this expansion, there must be a corresponding decrease in informational disorder. It’s like having a fixed amount of messiness; if it increases on one side, it has to decrease somewhere else to keep the balance.
Electrons and Atoms: Think about electrons like party guests choosing seats around a table. Hund’s Rule is an observation about how electrons settle into orbits around an atom’s nucleus. The Second Law of Infodynamics provides a new way to think about this: electrons are like guests trying to minimize fuss (or entropy) by choosing their seats wisely to keep things orderly.
Genetics and Evolution: Instead of seeing the changes in our DNA over time as random, this law suggests there’s a pattern that tends toward reducing informational disorder. This could change how we study genetics and evolution, possibly allowing us to predict changes in DNA before they happen.
Digital World: In the digital realm, such as the data on your computer or phone, this law suggests that the amount of disorder or randomness in information doesn’t just randomly go up — it either stays the same or gets more organized over time. This principle could influence how we design new technology.
Why It Matters:
- Universality: This law isn’t just for one field of science; it applies everywhere, from the smallest particles to the vastness of space.
- Symmetry Everywhere: It gives us a reason why symmetry is so common in our universe — because systems naturally move toward less disorder.
- The Universe as a Simulation?: It even supports the idea that the universe might operate like a giant computer simulation, where information is processed and organized efficiently.
- Information as a Physical Thing: The law also suggests that information might be more than just an abstract idea — it could be as real and physical as matter and energy.
- Impacts Across Fields: This concept has huge implications for everything from understanding how life evolves to how we store and process data.
In essence, the Second Law of Infodynamics is a principle that could explain the underlying ‘rules’ of how information behaves across the cosmos, in living creatures, and in our computers, potentially revolutionizing several fields of science and technology. It tells us that the universe might be striving for simplicity and order at a fundamental level, reflected in everything from the shape of galaxies to the structure of a single atom.
Next, I asked GPT to create a story-world (in short chapter summaries) from the implications of the theory, as if it was established as a kind of prime directive for how future humans operate in spacetime. And then prompted it to draw images based on the chapter themes. It took several iterations and some AI-whispering but what came out eventually was a collection of images that feel very different than anything I have seen in AI art so far.
Like AI tripping on dmt (digital matter theory)…
The Tapestry of Reality: A Story of the Second Law of Infodynamics
In the vast, swirling cosmos, where stars are born and galaxies dance in the endless ballet of the universe, the Second Law of Infodynamics whispers the ancient secrets of existence. Here, amidst the celestial bodies, the law reveals itself not just as a theoretical construct, but as the very fabric of reality, intertwining mass, energy, and information in an inseparable trinity.
Chapter 1: The Garden of the Cosmos
Imagine a garden, unlike any on Earth, sprawling across the cosmos. Each flower, a star; each leaf, a planet; and every grain of soil, a particle of matter. This cosmic garden thrives on the fundamental principle that information is as real as the petals of its star-flowers and the energy that fuels their radiant bloom. Here, the Second Law of Infodynamics governs the growth and decay, organizing the chaos into harmonious structures where information, energy, and matter exchange in an eternal cycle of creation and dissolution.
Chapter 2: The River of Time
Flowing through the garden is a river, shimmering with the light of a billion suns. This is the River of Time, carrying with it the currents of entropy and order. Humans, nature’s curious children, stand on its banks, casting their gaze across the waters, seeking to understand the dance of chaos and order reflected in its flow. They learn that just as the river shapes the land, the Second Law of Infodynamics shapes the universe, guiding the flow of information to carve out the reality they inhabit.
Chapter 3: The Weavers of Destiny
Humans, in their quest for knowledge, become weavers of destiny, intertwining the threads of mass, energy, and information to craft the tapestry of their existence. They discover that by understanding the equivalence of these fundamental elements, they can manipulate the fabric of reality, transforming thought into matter, ideas into energy. Through technology, art, and science, they harness the Second Law of Infodynamics, creating wonders that echo the harmonious structures of the cosmic garden.
Chapter 4: The Echoes of Eternity
As the story of humanity unfolds, their achievements and struggles become the echoes of eternity, reverberating through the cosmos. The garden listens, the river remembers, and the tapestry grows ever more intricate. The Second Law of Infodynamics, once a silent guardian of the universe’s secrets, now speaks through every leaf, star, and soul, revealing that in the grand symphony of existence, information is the melody, energy the harmony, and mass the rhythm.
Epilogue: The Infinite Library
At the edge of the cosmic garden lies an infinite library, where the stories of all that ever was and ever will be are inscribed in the language of the universe. Here, the Second Law of Infodynamics is both librarian and author, writing the ongoing tale of a universe where mass, energy, and information are one, bound by the unbreakable chain of existence.
Read about Dr. Melvin Vopson’s MEIE theory:
