A pioneer in quantum computation and quantum information theory, David Deutsch now seeks to define the boundaries between the possible and the impossible.

Why you should listen

David Deutsch is a physicist and author who is, as he puts it, "interested in anything fundamental." He discovered the first quantum algorithm and is the codiscoverer, with Richard Jozsa, of the first quantum algorithm that could solve certain problems exponentially faster than anything available to classical computer science.

Deutsch has proposed constructor theory, which postulates that all laws of nature can be expressed in terms of whether a task is possible or impossible -- a theory that extends not only to computation, but also into everything that exists. He is a proponent of the multiverse interpretation of quantum mechanics, which has the startling implication that every physically possible event exists somewhere within an infinite fabric of coexisting universes.

He is the author of The Beginning of Infinity and The Fabric of Reality.

David Deutsch’s TED talks

More news and ideas from David Deutsch

Live from TED2019

Intelligence: Notes from Session 3 of TED2019

April 16, 2019

Session 3 featured a dazzling celebration of intelligence — from the knowledge coded in our DNA (and a new way we could rewrite it) to one of the most astonishing tech demos ever seen at TED. Let’s jump right in. The event: Talks and performances from TED2019, Session 3: Intelligence, hosted by TED’s Chris Anderson. […]

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