Programming the Universe

In the traditional scientific account, the universe is composed of matter and energy. However, there is another key ingredient: information. Every atom and elementary particle carries with it bits of information, and when two atoms collide, those bits flip. The universe computes. The history of the universe is an intricate dance in which energy and information twirl and entwine. By understanding how and why the universe computes, we gain insight into the nature of reality itself.

Dr. Lloyd is a professor of mechanical engineering and director of the W.M. Keck Center for Extreme Quantum Information Theory at MIT. He was the first person to develop a realizable model for quantum computation and is working with a variety of groups to construct and operate quantum computers and quantum communication systems. He is the author of over 100 scientific papers, and of Programming the Universe (Knopf, 2004).

In Other Words brought together six artists who delivered lecture-performances, and six thinkers who gave traditional talks. Juxtaposed, these talks built connections across boundaries and made dialogue a continuous process of renewal.

This talk was presented in conjunction with Clément Layes’ performance, Allege.