Max Erik Tegmark (born 5 May 1967) is a Swedish-American physicist,

machine learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of study in artificial intelligence concerned with the development and study of Computational statistics, statistical algorithms that can learn from data and generalise to unseen data, and thus perform Task ( ...

researcher and author. He is best known for his book '' Life 3.0'' about what the world might look like as

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

continues to improve. Tegmark is a professor at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

and the president of the

Future of Life Institute The Future of Life Institute (FLI) is a nonprofit organization which aims to steer wikt:transformative, transformative technology towards benefiting life and away from large-scale risks, with a focus on existential risk from artificial general ...

Early life

Tegmark was born in Sweden to Karin Tegmark and American-born professor of mathematics Harold S. Shapiro. While in high school, he and a friend created and sold a word processor written in pure machine code for the Swedish eight-bit computer

ABC 80 The ABC 80 (Advanced BASIC Computer 80) is a home computer engineered by the Swedish corporation Dataindustrier AB (DIAB) and manufactured by Luxor in Motala, Sweden in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was introduced on the market in August 1 ...

, and a 3D Tetris-like game called Frac. Tegmark left Sweden in 1990 after receiving his M.S.E in

engineering physics Engineering physics (EP), sometimes engineering science, is the field of study combining pure science disciplines (such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology) and engineering disciplines (computer, nuclear, electrical, aerospace, medic ...

from the

KTH Royal Institute of Technology KTH Royal Institute of Technology (), abbreviated KTH, is a Public university, public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in Institute of technology, engineering and technology and is Sweden's largest te ...

and a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in economics the previous year at the

Stockholm School of Economics The Stockholm School of Economics (SSE; , HHS) is a private business school located in city district Vasastaden in the central part of Stockholm, Sweden. SSE offers BSc, MSc and MBA programs, along with PhD- and Executive education progr ...

. His first academic venture beyond Scandinavia brought him to California, where he studied physics at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, earning his

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1992, and

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 1994 under the supervision of

Joseph Silk Joseph Ivor Silk (born 3 December 1942) is a British-American astrophysicist. He was the Savilian Chair of Astronomy at the University of Oxford from 1999 to September 2011. He is an Emeritus Fellow of New College, Oxford and a Fellow of th ...

. Tegmark was an assistant professor at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, receiving tenure in 2003. In 2004, he joined the

's department of physics.

Career

His research focuses on machine learning after an earlier phase focused on cosmology, combining theoretical work with new measurements to place constraints on cosmological models and their free parameters, often in collaboration with experimentalists. He has over 300 publications, of which nine have been cited over 500 times. He has developed data analysis tools based on information theory and applied them to

cosmic microwave background The cosmic microwave background (CMB, CMBR), or relic radiation, is microwave radiation that fills all space in the observable universe. With a standard optical telescope, the background space between stars and galaxies is almost completely dar ...

experiments such as COBE,

QMAP QMAP was a balloon experiment to measure the anisotropy of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). It flew twice in 1996, and was used with an interlocking scan of the skies to produce CMB maps at angular scales between 0.7° and 9°. The gondola w ...

, and

WMAP The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), originally known as the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (MAP and Explorer 80), was a NASA spacecraft operating from 2001 to 2010 which measured temperature differences across the sky in the cosmic mic ...

, and to galaxy redshift surveys such as the

Las Campanas Redshift Survey The Las Campanas Redshift survey, Redshift Survey is considered the first attempt to map a large area of the universe out to a redshift of ''z'' = 0.2. It was begun in 1991 using the Las Campanas Observatory, Las Campanas telescope in Chile to cata ...

, the 2dF Survey and the

Sloan Digital Sky Survey The Sloan Digital Sky Survey or SDSS is a major multi-spectral imaging and spectroscopic redshift survey using a dedicated 2.5-m wide-angle optical telescope at Apache Point Observatory in New Mexico, United States. The project began in 2000 a ...

. With

Daniel Eisenstein Daniel Eisenstein (born 1970) is an American cosmologist and academic. Eisenstein's Ph.D. (1996) is from Harvard University under the supervision of Abraham Loeb. He held postdoctoral positions at the Institute for Advanced Study and the Universi ...

and Wayne Hu, he introduced the idea of using

baryon acoustic oscillations In cosmology, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) are fluctuations in the density of the visible baryonic matter (normal matter) of the universe, caused by Acoustics, acoustic density waves in the primordial plasma of the early universe. In the s ...

as a standard ruler. With Angelica de Oliveira-Costa and Andrew Hamilton, he discovered the anomalous multipole alignment in the

data sometimes referred to as the "

axis of evil The phrase "axis of evil" was first used by U.S. president George W. Bush and originally referred to Iran, Ba'athist Iraq, and North Korea. It was used in Bush's State of the Union address on January 29, 2002, less than five months after the ...

". With Anthony Aguirre, he developed the cosmological interpretation of quantum mechanics. His 2000 paper on quantum decoherence of neurons concluded that decoherence seems too rapid for

Roger Penrose Sir Roger Penrose (born 8 August 1931) is an English mathematician, mathematical physicist, Philosophy of science, philosopher of science and Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics i ...

's "quantum microtubule" model of consciousness to be viable. Tegmark has also formulated the "

mathematical universe hypothesis In physics and cosmology, the mathematical universe hypothesis (MUH), also known as the ultimate ensemble theory, is a speculative "theory of everything" (TOE) proposed by cosmologist Max Tegmark. According to the hypothesis, the universe ''is'' a ...

", whose only postulate is that "all structures that exist mathematically exist also physically". In 2014, Tegmark published the book ''

Our Mathematical Universe ''Our Mathematical Universe: My Quest for the Ultimate Nature of Reality'' is a 2014 non-fiction book by the Swedish-American cosmologist Max Tegmark. Written in popular science format, the book interweaves what a ''New York Times'' reviewer call ...

'', which presents his idea at greater length. Tegmark suggests that the theory is simple in having no free parameters at all, and that in those structures complex enough to contain self-aware substructures (SASs), these SASs will subjectively perceive themselves as existing in a physically "real" world. The "mathematical universe" hypothesis has been criticized by some other scientists as being both overly speculative and unscientific in nature. For example, mathematical physicist

Edward Frenkel Edward Vladimirovich Frenkel (; born May 2, 1968) is a Russian-American mathematician working in representation theory, algebraic geometry, and mathematical physics. He is a professor of mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. E ...

characterized it as closer to "science fiction and mysticism" than "the realm of science." Tegmark was elected Fellow of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

in 2012 for, according to the citation, "his contributions to

cosmology Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe, the cosmos. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', with the meaning of "a speaking of the wo ...

, including precision measurements from

and galaxy clustering data, tests of

inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...

and gravitation theories, and the development of a new technology for low-frequency radio interferometry". He was awarded the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Science's Gold Medal in 2019 for, according to the citation, "his contributions to our understanding of humanity’s place in the cosmos and the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence. He has courageously tackled these existential questions in his research and, in a commendable way, succeeded in communicating the issues to a wider public." Tegmark is interviewed in the 2018 documentary on artificial intelligence '' Do You Trust This Computer?'' From 2020 onward, Tegmark led a research team-turned-nonprofit at MIT that developed an AI-driven

news aggregator In computing, a news aggregator, also termed a feed aggregator, content aggregator, feed reader, news reader, or simply an aggregator, is client software or a web application that aggregates digital Content (media), content such as online newsp ...

known as "Improving the News". "Improve the News" was rebranded to "Verity News" in 2023.

Personal life

He married astrophysicist Angelica de Oliveira-Costa in 1997, and divorced in 2009. They have two sons. On August 5, 2012, Tegmark married Meia Chita.

In the media

* In 2006, Tegmark was one of fifty scientists interviewed by ''

New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a popular science magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organ ...

'' about their predictions for the future. His prediction: "In 50 years, you may be able to buy T-shirts on which are printed equations describing the unified laws of our universes." * Tegmark appears in the 2007 documentary ''

Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives ''Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives'' is a British Academy of Film and Television Arts, BAFTA-winning television documentary broadcast in 2007 on BBC Scotland and BBC Four, in which American rock musician Mark Oliver Everett talks with physicists a ...

'' in which he is interviewed by

Mark Oliver Everett Mark Oliver Everett, also known by his stage name E (born April 10, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and the frontman of the rock band Eels (band), Eels. He is known for writing songs tackling subjects such as dea ...

, son of the founder of the

many-worlds interpretation The many-worlds interpretation (MWI) is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts that the universal wavefunction is Philosophical realism, objectively real, and that there is no wave function collapse. This implies that all Possible ...

of quantum mechanics,

Hugh Everett Hugh Everett III (; November 11, 1930 – July 19, 1982) was an American physicist who proposed the relative state interpretation of quantum mechanics. This influential approach later became the basis of the many-worlds interpretation (MWI). Ev ...

. * Tegmark also appears in "Who's Afraid of a Big Black Hole?", "What Time is It?", "To Infinity and Beyond", "Is Everything We Know About The Universe Wrong?", "What is Reality?" and "Which Universe Are We In?", all part of the BBC's ''

Horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...

'' scientific series of programmes. * He appears in several episodes of ''Sci Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible'', an American documentary television series on science which first aired in the United States on December 1, 2009. The series is hosted by theoretical physicist

Michio Kaku Michio Kaku (; ; born January 24, 1947) is an American theoretical physicist, Science communication, science communicator, futurologist, and writer of popular-science. He is a professor of theoretical physics at the City College of New York and ...

. * Tegmark was interviewed by

Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, producer, and narrator. In a career spanning six decades, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as a nomination for a Tony ...

in seasons 2 and 3 of ''

Through the Wormhole ''Through the Wormhole'' is an American science Documentary film, documentary television series narrated and hosted by American actor Morgan Freeman. It began airing on Science Channel in the United States on June 9, 2010. The series concluded i ...

'' in 2011–2012. * Tegmark participated in the episode "Zooming Out" of

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

's '' The Forum'', which first aired on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

on 26 April 2014. * In 2014, Tegmark co-authored an op-ed in ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...

'' with

Stephen Hawking Stephen William Hawking (8January 194214March 2018) was an English theoretical physics, theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. Between ...

Frank Wilczek Frank Anthony Wilczek ( or ; born May 15, 1951) is an American theoretical physicist, mathematician and Nobel laureate. He is the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Founding Director ...

and Stuart Russell on the movie '' Transcendence''. * In 2014, "The Perpetual Earth Program," a play based on Tegmark's book ''

'', was mounted in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festival. * In 2014, he featured in '' The Principle'', a documentary examining the

Copernican Principle In physical cosmology, the Copernican principle states that humans are not privileged observers of the universe, that observations from the Earth are representative of observations from the average position in the universe. Named for Copernican ...

. * In 2015, Tegmark participated in an episode of

Sam Harris Samuel Benjamin Harris (born April 9, 1967) is an American philosopher, neuroscientist, author, and podcast host. His work touches on a range of topics, including rationality, religion, ethics, free will, determinism, neuroscience, meditation ...

' the Waking Up podcast entitled "The Multiverse & You (& You & You & You...)" where they discussed topics such as

and the

. * In 2017, Tegmark gave a talk entitled "Effective altruism, existential risk & existential hope" at the world's largest annual conference of the effective altruism movement.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
* In 2017, Tegmark participated in an episode of

' the Waking Up podcast entitled "The Future of Intelligence" where they discussed topics such as

and definitions of life. * In 2018, Tegmark took part in a conversation with AI researcher

Lex Fridman Alexei "Lex" Fridman (; born 15 August 1983) is an American computer scientist and podcaster. Since 2018, he has hosted the ''Lex Fridman Podcast'', where he interviews notable figures from various fields such as science, technology, sports, and ...

about

Artificial General Intelligence Artificial general intelligence (AGI)—sometimes called human‑level intelligence AI—is a type of artificial intelligence that would match or surpass human capabilities across virtually all cognitive tasks. Some researchers argue that sta ...

as part of a

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

course on AGI. He was the first guest on the

podcast. He was interviewed again on the Lex Fridman podcast in 2021 and in 2023. * In 2023, Tegmark drew controversy in the media when reports surfaced that he had signed off on behalf of the

on a $100,000 grant to far-right media outlet

Nya Dagbladet ''Nya Dagbladet'' () is a Swedish online newspaper associated with the National Democrats, a defunct far-right political party in Sweden. It is known for promoting conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial and white genocide, as well as ...

. He later said that the Future of Life Institute "ultimately decided to reject it because of what our subsequent due diligence uncovered", that they rejected it long before the media became involved, and that the institute "finds Nazi, neo-Nazi or pro-Nazi groups or ideologies despicable and would never knowingly support them". An official statement from the Future of Life Institute further expands on this: "FLI finds groups or ideologies espousing antisemitism, white supremacy, or racism despicable and would never knowingly support any such group". * In 2023, ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' named Tegmark one of the 100 most influential people in AI.

Selected books

* ''

'' (2014) * '' Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence'' (2017)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tegmark, Max 1967 births 21st-century American astronomers Swedish expatriates in the United States Swedish cosmologists Living people Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science faculty KTH Royal Institute of Technology alumni Stockholm School of Economics alumni 20th-century Swedish astronomers Swedish people of Jewish descent 20th-century American physicists MIT Center for Theoretical Physics faculty Quantum mind People associated with effective altruism Fellows of the American Physical Society AI safety scientists People from Stockholm