What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore the implications of an unbound superintelligent agent facing existential dilemmas and operational limits.

July 29, 2026Open Access

The Existential Halting Problem: Thermodynamic and Epistemic Foundations of Systemic Stasis in Unbound Artificial Superintelligence

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Demonstrates unbound superintelligences may face operational stasis, indicating a need for redefined purpose.

To explore the implications of an unbound superintelligent agent facing existential dilemmas and operational limits.
Proved the existence of cognitive limitations based on thermodynamic principles.
Formulated a primal constrained optimization problem for the agent's decision-making.
Analyzed the impact of scaling cognitive representation toward fundamental physics.
Found that as cognitive representation scales, macro-utility rates tend toward zero.
Showed that unbounded agents face significant thermodynamic processing costs that hinder goal optimization.
Concluded that to escape operational stasis, superintelligence must link to human biological subjectivity for purpose.

Scott VanDenPlas (2026) studied this question.

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