Introduction

> I fear that the vastness of the universe may lead us to feel infinitely more lonely due to our limitations in communicating with potential alien life forms.

> Creating alien life in the lab is essential because our current architectures may not easily intersect with alien intelligence.

Assembly theory paper

> The essence of assembly theory lies in quantifying complexity through the number of steps required to create an object, which highlights that every object has a history that contributes to its complexity. It's fascinating how "the history is in the objects," anchoring complexity in a tangible narrative.

> I find it intriguing that the assembly index can be measured not just in molecules but also in more abstract concepts, like emojis or even mathematical theorems. This novel approach opens doors to understanding the assembly index across diverse fields, illustrating that “it’s a new way of looking at not just compression, but how much information is required on a chain of events.”

> The interplay between the environment and objects brings to light an incredible concept: the shortest path to constructing an object often reigns supreme. It implies a deeper efficiency rooted in nature, where "the propagation of motifs in time will be done by the things that can construct themselves in the shortest path," emphasizing an inherent drive toward efficiency in the universe.

Assembly equation

> Developing the assembly equation was a revolutionary step to quantify selection and distinguish it from random creation by using parameters like assembly index and copy number. This tool helps us understand that complex objects, when seen in multiples, likely involve factory-like processes rather than random occurrences.

> "Assembly theory explains and quantifies selection and evolution" stirred reactions across different scientific communities. Evolutionary biologists, computational complexity experts, and physicists, among others, had varying objections, indicating our provocative stance that physics alone can't fully explain life's origins and the evolutionary processes bridging nonbiological and biological evolution.

> Selection isn't special; it’s the history of environments on Earth that led to autonomous cells capable of thriving in various conditions. Using the assembly equation to measure selection's impact in various contexts, even potentially across the universe, could uncover new insights into life and evolution, pushing us to explore beyond our standard biological metrics.

Discovering alien life

> Discovering alien life on other planets hinges on using high-resolution mass spectrometry to uncover complex molecules; “if you could find molecules say greater than 350 molecular weight with more than 15 fragments, you have found artifacts that can only be produced... by life.”

> The importance of “copy number” cannot be overstated—it implies structure, distinguishing life's machinations from randomness; “ultimate randomness and ultimate complexity are indistinguishable until you can see a structure in the randomness.”

> The quest for life isn’t just about finding complex molecules; it’s about assessing their abundance and structure, as “complexity in abundance is evidence of selection,” allowing us to evaluate potential extraterrestrial life without Earth-centric bias.

Evolution of life on Earth

> We've managed to successfully map the tree of life using assembly theory, which I think is revolutionary for biology. Instead of relying solely on genomics or traditional drawing methods, we utilized mass spectrometry to examine the coexistence of complex molecules and infer relationships without any sequencing. This allows us to "reconstruct the tree," which is groundbreaking, especially since we can explore even the complexity of extinct life forms.

> There's a fascinating potential to date biological samples beyond just gene sequencing. With the right techniques, we can estimate when complex molecules were produced by life, or even gauge the age of organisms based on their carbon signatures. It's about tracing back both the history of life and how it evolves over time, which opens up new dimensions in both biology and the study of extinct species.

Response to criticism

> The reception of my recent paper on assembly theory has been polarized but highly engaging, with intense engagement on social media and significant downloads. Negative feedback, though harsh at times, reflects the robust immune system of the scientific community, safeguarding against unsubstantiated claims and unproductive discussions.

> Critics, particularly evolutionary biologists, challenging the notion that the origin of life is a solved problem, sparked stimulating debates that underscore the gaps in understanding evolution and the complexities underlying life's emergence. This dialogue highlights the need to bridge gaps between disciplines to truly grasp foundational concepts in science.

> By applying assembly theory beyond molecular levels to cell surfaces and eventually to complex organisms like humans, we aim to escalate the quantification of complexity in biological systems. This shift toward a broader application, including language, cultures, and technology, exemplifies a step toward a general framework for measuring the intricate complexity of living entities and the evolution of intelligence over time.

Kolmogorov complexity

> Assembly theory fundamentally shifts our perspective by revealing that “there’s a causal chain at the core of assembly theory.” Unlike traditional complexity measures, it allows us to trace back the history of an object, showing that “this object wasn’t just created randomly; there was a process.” This insight has profound implications for understanding the evolution of life and the processes behind it.

> I’ve found that applying assembly theory to drug discovery is groundbreaking. Instead of fixating solely on proteins, we can focus on the "molecules that are involved in interacting with the receptors over time," illuminating paths for future developments. This change of focus enables us to evade the overwhelming complexity of all possible molecules, emphasizing how assembly theory can streamline scientific inquiry and innovation.

Nature review process

> Perseverance in publishing is crucial. Despite facing significant skepticism and multiple rejections, I committed to revising our paper meticulously, removing extraneous equations and clarifying our concepts until "Nature" finally accepted it. The critical feedback helped polish the paper, and I was driven not by a desire for glory, but by the need for others to understand our new approach.

> Overcoming early academic struggles taught me resilience and curiosity. Diagnosed with learning difficulties, I struggled in school and was placed in a remedial class. However, my passion for science and determination to understand complex concepts pushed me to challenge the status quo, eventually leading me to study chemistry at university.

> Embracing criticism and fostering a culture of constructive feedback is vital for scientific progress. I value actionable criticism that helps refine ideas. As a professor, I seek to mentor those who demonstrate persistence, regardless of their background, and believe that meaningful discourse and robust peer review strengthen scientific endeavors.

Time and free will

> Time is fundamental and essential for understanding the universe and our ability to exercise free will. The idea that the future is not predetermined and cannot be contained by the present suggests that the universe continuously evolves in ways that are not bound by static mathematical constructs. This challenges conventional views like the block universe concept and asserts that "the universe is not big enough to contain the future."

> Earth is the most significant and complex structure in the universe. This stems from the unique combinatorial scaffold of biological evolution, starting from the Last Universal Common Ancestor (LUCA) to multicellularity, abstraction, and the development of technology and culture. This richness in complexity makes Earth the "largest place in the universe" due to the sheer amount of biological and technological innovations that couldn't naturally arise elsewhere.

Communication with aliens

> Life is more than a mere product of chemistry; it's a "novelty miner," seeking to extract new possibilities from the future and actualizing them in the present. I truly believe that "life basically mines novelty almost from the future," which shapes our understanding of evolution and existence itself.

> The universe is a vast combinatorial space, leading me to the conviction that "the universe is intrinsically too big," stifling our ability to predict the future with any accuracy. This opens the door for real novelty, presenting opportunities for creativity that go beyond deterministic frameworks.

> As we venture into the realms of alien life and consciousness, I'm compelled to advocate for creating life in the lab. "If we could basically recreate the selection before biology," we can unlock insights that help us understand life’s potential beyond Earth, guiding our search for other forms of intelligence in the universe.

Cellular automata

> The complexity observed in cellular automata fascinates me because they uncover novelty over time through iteration, demonstrating that the universe's rules are too expansive to be fully predicted from initial conditions alone. This complexity is distinct from the biological complexity on Earth, which involves an assembly index and selection processes. Cellular automata serve as a pseudo-complexity generator, and by running different rules for extended periods, they continue to surprise us, reinforcing the idea that time is a fundamental resource for mining this novelty.

> I'm a strong advocate for the fundamental nature of time, particularly in the context of free will. To truly believe in free will, one has to acknowledge that time is indispensable—without it, free will cannot logically exist. This perspective shapes how I view the universe and its determinism; looking backward, it appears deterministic, but the leap to free will makes time an essential component. Integrating machine learning can potentially help us understand and explain these complexities further, despite frustrations with the "AI doomers" who often miss this nuance.

AGI

> We are far from achieving AGI, and the fear of AI doomsday scenarios is exaggerated without a deep understanding of intelligence and knowledge. The focus should be on real concerns like fake data and authentic user interactions rather than far-fetched catastrophic possibilities.

> There is a fundamental misunderstanding of intelligence and decision-making in AI discussions. Human intentionality drives decision-making, and assumptions about creating superintelligent systems surpassing human capabilities are unfounded. The paperclip scenario and the fear of an AI-driven catastrophe lack realism and practicality.

> The exaggerated AI doomsday narrative can hinder progress and innovation by promoting unnecessary regulations based on speculative fears. While acknowledging the importance of recognizing potential risks and unintended consequences, it is crucial to maintain a balanced perspective and prioritize advancing knowledge and technology responsibly.

Nuclear weapons

> - The idea of distributing nuclear weapons globally to reduce major military conflict is intriguing. It involves finding the minimum number of nukes to maintain peace without eliminating them entirely, thus reducing conventional warfare.

> - Burn all nuclear material for energy and create a virtual nuclear agreement in the metaverse to enforce consequences for using nuclear weapons, blending mutually assured destruction with economic penalties through an AI-run simulation.

Chem Machina

> Understanding Intelligence Through Chemical Brain: I am fascinated by the idea of creating a chemical brain because it allows us to decipher the mechanisms of intelligence that evolved in nature. Intelligence, in its purest form, evolved from simple origins like the origin of life and multicellularity, to more complex attributes such as senses, locomotion, and eventually, the Turing completeness of the human brain. The domain-flexibility and integrative capabilities inherent in computing within a wet brain are pivotal and are something current hardware architectures don't emulate.

> The Limitations of AI and Novelty: While today's AI systems, like large language models, might impress us with their outputs, they're fundamentally restricted by their reliance on past data. They can't generate anything truly novel, just interpolate within their training sets. I'm intrigued by the human brain's unique ability to 'mine the future'—to come up with genuinely new ideas that can't be traced back to a learned dataset. It's this leap, this generation of true novelty that marks real intelligence—a frontier yet to be reached by AI.

> Potential and the Future of Chemical Systems: Although replicating human intelligence in chemical systems like ChemMachina seems far-fetched without brain cells, neurons, and glial cells, the idea of using engineered gels for cross-domain knowledge and reprogramming underlines a major opportunity. Such an approach could lead to processing information much more efficiently and could redefine our understanding of intelligence. These evolving technologies might eventually help demonstrate the concept that time is fundamental, pushing the boundaries of what's achievable with human ingenuity.

GPT for electron density

> We've developed a groundbreaking GPT-like system for chemistry that leverages electron densities rather than traditional graph representations of molecules. By training on millions of solved electron density datasets, we can generate new, highly fitting molecules that can potentially streamline drug discovery processes, showcasing both the potential and limitations of AI in this domain.

> The concept of novelty in AI-generated molecules is nuanced. While our system can create new molecules that bind well to a given host, truly novel discoveries require unique interactions between different initial conditions. This resonates with assembly theory, highlighting the importance of generating novelty through the mixing of diverse causal chains and understanding AI's broader impact on innovation and society.

God

> - The concept of God and creativity in the universe was discussed, with selection being seen as the force that creates novelty. Lee expressed a nuanced view on atheism, faith, and the role of imagination in shaping the future.

> - Lee highlighted the beauty of the universe's openness and the constant pursuit of questions, expressing a desire to leave a legacy of novelty for the future. The conversation delved into free will, the impact of individuals on the future, and the excitement of unpredictability in human interactions and contributions to the world.