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Top bank analysts claim there’s a 50% chance our world is a computer simulation and we're all plugged into a Matrix-style virtual reality.

And they also reckon if it's true - then there's no way we'll ever find out about it.

The Bank of America's Merrill Lynch made the astonishing claim in a research note citing comments by top scientists, astrophysicists and philosophers.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk is one of those who is almost certain our world is run by artificial intelligence developed by a future civilization.

(Image: Getty)

His mind-bending theory is backed up by the bank's analysts who said in a report our world could actually be a simulation created by a future civilisation.

It said: “Many scientists, philosophers, and business leaders believe that there is a 20-50% probability that humans are already living in a computer-simulated virtual world.

“In April 2016, researchers gathered at the American Museum of Natural History to debate this notion.

(Image: Wikipedia)

“The argument is that we are already approaching photorealistic 3D simulations that millions of people can simultaneously participate in."

Part of the theory includes reasoning that if we are living in a futuristic virtual reality - then we'll never know about it.

The research note added: “It is conceivable that with advancements in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and computing power, members of future civilisations could have decided to run a simulation of their ancestors."

"Unless we are now living in a simulation, our descendants will almost certainly never run an ancestor-simulation."

(Image: Recode/YouTube)

Speaking earlier this year, Musk told an audience at Code Conference 2016 in California: "If you assume any rate of improvement at all, then the games will become indistinguishable from reality, just indistinguishable."

And, when pressed on the topic, he continued to muse on why we should be grateful for being jacked into the Matrix.

"If civilisation stops advancing, then that may be due to some calamitous event that stops civilisation," he said.

The wide-ranging interview also included Musk's belief that we are already merging with technology because of our dependence on modern electronic gadgets.

(Image: REX/Shutterstock) (Image: REX/Shutterstock)

However, he suggested we go further and become full cyborgs with the invention of something he termed a "neural lace".

It would mean giving the brain a new electronic layer that would work with artificial intelligence to instantly access online information. It would also stop us from becoming overrun by our advancing AI overlords.

"Under any rate of advancement in AI we will be left behind by a lot," he said.

"The benign situation with ultra-intelligent AI is that we would be so far below in intelligence we’d be like a pet, or a house cat. I don’t love the idea of being a house cat.”

As well as these pronouncements, Musk shed some light on his plans to take SpaceX to Mars and continue to drive Tesla's upheaval of the automotive industry.

(Image: Reuters)

He said that SpaceX's first mission to Mars will take place in 2018 - when the planet is closest to Earth. And also that Tesla's long-awaited Model 3 will have finished the final design phase in six weeks.

It's the company's first mass-market electric car and Musk says he has a "big" reveal coming by the end of the year.