AI to revolutionise fundamental physics and ‘could show how universe will end’

‘These are not incremental improvements – these are very, very, very big improvements people are making by adopting really advanced techniques.” Photograph: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images

Advanced artificial intelligence is to revolutionise fundamental physics and could open a window on to the fate of the universe, according to Cern’s next director general.

Prof Mark Thomson, the British physicist who will assume leadership of Cern on 1 January 2026, says machine learning is paving the way for advances in particle physics that promise to be comparable to the AI-powered prediction of protein structures that earned Google DeepMind scientists a Nobel prize in October.