Max Tegmark - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 
 
 
 
 
 
 Swedish-American academic physicist (born 1967) 
 

 Max Tegmark Tegmark in 2024 Born Max Erik Shapiro 
 ( 1967-05-05 ) 5 May 1967 (age 58) 
 Stockholm , Sweden [ not verified in body ] Alma mater Stockholm School of Economics ( BA )
 Royal Institute of Technology ( MSE )
 University of California, Berkeley ( MA , PhD ) Scientific career Fields Cosmology , physics , machine learning Institutions Massachusetts Institute of Technology 
 Future of Life Institute Thesis Probes of the Early Universe   (1994) Doctoral advisor Joseph Silk 
 Signature 
 Max Tegmark (born 5 May 1967 [ 1 ] ) is a Swedish-American physicist, machine learning researcher and author. He is a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology . He co-founded and leads the Future of Life Institute , a nonprofit focused on reducing global catastrophic risks from advanced technologies. [ 2 ] 

 Originally a cosmologist , Tegmark's focus shifted toward artificial intelligence (AI). His 2017 book Life 3.0 presents scenarios for what the world might look like as AI continues to develop. [ 3 ] Tegmark advocates for a halt on the development of artificial superintelligence . [ 4 ] 

 
 Early life

 [ edit ] 
 Max Erik Tegmark was born Max Erik Shapiro [ 5 ] [ 6 ] in Stockholm , Sweden , [ 7 ] on 5 May 1967, [ 1 ] to Karin Tegmark and mathematician Harold S. Shapiro . [ 8 ] 

 Tegmark grew up in Bromma, Stockholm . During his studies at Blackeberg 's high school, he worked as a volunteer for the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society , campaigning for nuclear disarmament . [ 8 ] [ 9 ] 

 While studying at the University of California at Berkeley , he adopted his mother's surname Tegmark, as there were many astronomers named Shapiro, including one of his professors. [ 6 ] [ 8 ] While in high school, Tegmark and a friend, Magnus Bodin, created and sold a word processor, Teddy, written in machine code for the Swedish eight-bit computer ABC 80 as a summer project, which was marketed "in a very modest manner" by Liber Läromedel, [ 5 ] and—per Tegman's autobiographical description—he also coded a 3D Tetris-like game called Frac. [ 6 ] : p.55  

 Tegmark left Sweden after receiving his B.A. in economics in 1989 at the Stockholm School of Economics , [ 7 ] and an M.S.E in engineering physics from the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 1990. [ 10 ] He next studied physics at the University of California, Berkeley , earning his M.A. in 1992, and Ph.D. in 1994 under the supervision of Joseph Silk . [ 7 ] 

 Career

 [ edit ] 
 Tegmark started as an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania , receiving tenure in 2003. [ 7 ] In 2004, he joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 's department of physics. [ 4 ] 

 Tegmark 

... (truncated, 27 KB total)