[2008.09275] Probability and consequences of living inside a computer simulation

Abstract:It is shown that under reasonable assumptions a Drake-style equation can be obtained for the probability that our universe is the result of a deliberate simulation. Evaluating loose bounds for certain terms in the equation shows that the probability is unlikely to be as high as previously reported in the literature, especially in a scenario where the simulations are recursive. Furthermore, we investigate the possibility of eavesdropping from the outside of such a simulation and introduce a general attack that can circumvent attempts at quantum cryptography inside the simulation, even if the quantum properties of the simulation are genuine.

Probability and consequences of living inside a computer simulation arXiv:2008.09275v1 [physics.pop-ph] 21 Aug 2020 Alexandre Bibeau-Delisle1 and Gilles Brassard1,2 1 Département IRO, Université de Montréal, Montréal (QC), H3C 3J7 Canada 2 Canadian Institute for Advanced Research…

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