Rule 30, a cellular automaton with a simple three-bit rule, produces patterns that appear completely random over many iterations despite starting from a single black cell, demonstrating that simple programs can generate complex and apparently random behavior.

factualpending

Speaker

Stephen Wolfram

Evidence Quote

Rule 30 um it has that little uh program at the bottom but you started off from just one black cell and it makes this quite elaborate pattern keep going for a while it produces a pattern that for many practical purposes looks completely random

Source

Stephen Wolfram - Where the Computational Paradigm Leads (in Physics, Tech, AI, Biology, Math, ...)Hertz Foundation
Created: 8/11/2026, 6:42:09 AM

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