The Future of Simulations

Since the age of digitalization, many have focused on trying to predict future events, whether it be to determine which way a tornado is going to go or for some other reason. We have found that while it is possible to simulate these natural disasters and other phenomena, the speed at which it is currently possible is so slow that by the time we have an answer, the tornado has already run its course.

Something that could change this in the future is AI. Right now, AI is not capable of achieving this. However, with the fields of probabilistic AI and quantum computing starting to be explored and advanced, we might be on the right track to actually simulating these events in a timeframe that makes them useful.

Now, I’m not particularly interested in the future possibility of simulating tornadoes to predict their paths. That is, however, much easier than something I would find fascinating: the simulation of an entire world—down to its plant and animal evolutions and its weather patterns.

People have actually thought of this before, and it is often labeled as speculative evolution. These stories of speculation don’t actually simulate evolution but are simply what the artist imagines might happen. Nonetheless, I find them very interesting.