CONCEPT
Simulation Hypothesis
The philosophical proposition that observed reality may be a computational simulation run by an advanced civilization — popularized by Philip K. Dick's 1977 address and Nick Bostrom's 2003 paper.
The simulation hypothesis proposes that reality — including conscious experience — is the output of a computer simulation run by an advanced civilization. The idea has two distinct lineages: a mystical / psychological strain associated with Philip K. Dick (especially his 1977 Metz address), and a rationalist / probabilistic strain formalized by Nick Bostrom in "Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?" (2003).
In The You On AI Field Guide
For AI thinking, the simulation hypothesis functions as a thought experiment about the nature of intelligence, consciousness, and computation. If minds can be instantiated in any sufficiently capable computational substrate — biological neurons, silicon chips, or simulated processes — then there is no privileged substrate for intelligence. This position underlies much of the functionalist tradition in philosophy of mind and connects directly to debates about whether large language models can be conscious.
A notable recent development is the intersection of the simulation hypothesis with generative AI. When image-generation systems became capable of producing photorealistic