Archetype AI’s Newton model learns physics from raw data—without any help from humans

Researchers at Archetype AI have developed a foundational AI model capable of learning complex physics principles directly from sensor data, without any pre-programmed knowledge. This breakthrough could significantly change how we understand and interact with the physical world.

The model, named Newton, demonstrates an unprecedented ability to generalize across diverse physical phenomena, from mechanical oscillations to thermodynamics, using only raw sensor measurements as input. This achievement, detailed in a paper released today, represents a major advance in artificial intelligence’s capacity to interpret and predict real-world physical processes.

“We’re asking if AI can discover the laws of physics on its own, the same way humans did through careful observation and measurement,” said Ivan Poupyrev, co-founder of Archetype AI, in an exclusive interview with VentureBeat. “Can we build a single AI model that generalizes across diverse physical phenomena, domains, applications, and sensing apparatuses?”

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