I Just Wrote My First Pre-Print, with the Help of Claude
Video: Can AI turn anyone into a contributor of science?
I like to ask AI questions about the universe. It’s a fun little experiment I do to test AI and see if any of my crazy theories about time travel or gravity– might yield a semi-reasonable response to becoming reality.
After all, I’m a child of the 80s, and by now, we should have flying DeLoreans, liquid metal Terminators, and Skynet appears to be getting close to sentience (but let’s just assume John Connor prolonged that one).
Still, once in a while, you ask AI a question or suggest a scientific theory– and instead of giving you an answer, it tells you: your concept is truly novel, and you should publish a paper about it. Do you listen to Claude, or let the moment go?
I Ran With It
OK- so I run with this idea– and six weeks later after getting reviewed by Gemini (over and over), you have a scientific paper titled: Virtual Technosignatures: Electromagnetic Stellar Spoofing for Interstellar Communication. You can read it here.
And while I’d love to share the idea with you, it’s the process by which I completed this paper with Claude.ai and Gemini as a backup, that’s more interesting. In short, it’s a concept for a “next step” in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life program (SETI). I call it VETI: Virtual Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence messaging. Let’s see if it sticks. It builds on the Dyson Sphere idea, and I got inspired by David Kipping’s Big Think video about how close we are to finding intelligent life. Watch the journey below:
👉 My Claude Journey: Did I Just Become a "Scientist?"
Do These Tools Have Value to Scientific Research?
In my video, I’m reminded how
mentioned to me that, though we may be far away from Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), these tools do have value. What if they enable any of us to start adding to the scientific conversation?Does AI democratize scientific research? Well, when you see what happens with my moment with Arxive.org, even after I received an endorsement– perhaps that question is still up for debate.
Yet, still, because of this journey, I can’t help but want to keep asking more questions. Like Neil deGrasse Tyson says, “Keep looking up.”
Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube as my journey with AI continues. I have two NEW vibe coded experiments that are simply awesome. Can’t wait to share.
Look, I get the appeal. Hijack the sky with geometric light tricks and hope the neighbors are friendly. But reading this? I am unsettled.
We are not just whispering into the void anymore. We are throwing up neon signs in every direction and hoping no one answers with a hammer. The whole premise reads like we skipped over the part where we ask, "Should we?," and went straight to "Wouldn’t it be cool if…?"
If the Dark Forest theory is even half right, then turning the Sun into a billboard feels like a dare. We are gambling that any civilization advanced enough to see this will be curious, kind, and interested in chatting.
History does not suggest that is a safe bet.
Interesting idea to go through though!!! Did you double check all your sources are real?