Reading time: 5 min Prerequisites: None. We got you. Survival rate: 100% (no ongongong guaranteed)
The Problem (Why You Should Care)
You know how ChatGPT shows “thinking…” before answering?
You: "What's 2 + 2?"
ChatGPT: [thinking...]
ChatGPT: "4"
The answer didn't exist before you asked.
It was computed WHEN you observed.That’s the same thing quantum physicists have been arguing about for 100 years.
They just didn’t have ChatGPT as a reference.
The Monster’s Reputation
LOADING SCREEN LORE:
"The Observer Effect - an ancient beast that has confused
hunters for a century. Said to exist in multiple states
simultaneously. Collapses when you look at it. Einstein
himself rage-quit trying to solo this monster."Sounds scary right? Quantum physics. Superposition. Wave function collapse.
Let’s bonk it.
The Scary Rune (Quantum Version)
Physicists say:
|ψ⟩ = α|0⟩ + β|1⟩
"The particle exists in a superposition of states
until observation collapses the wave function."Tamed version:
|ψ⟩ = "the thing before you look"
α|0⟩ + β|1⟩ = "could be this OR that"
observation = "you look at it"
collapse = "now it's definitely one thing"Even simpler: “The answer doesn’t exist until you ask.”
The ML Translation
QUANTUM ML INFERENCE
---------------------------------------------
particle = model
superposition = weights (parameters)
observation = input arrives
"collapse" = forward pass runs
definite state = output token
+---------------------------------------------+
|
BEFORE observation/input: |
- "multiple possibilities" |
- weights exist, answer doesn't |
|
AFTER observation/input: |
- "one definite result" |
- forward pass computed it |
|
+---------------------------------------------+The Everyday Analogy
Think of a vending machine:
VENDING MACHINE:
- You haven't pressed a button yet
- "superposition" - could give any snack
|
- You press B7
- "observation" - input arrives
|
- Machine whirs and computes
- "collapse" - processing happens
|
- Snickers drops out
- "definite state" - result exists
The Snickers wasn't "in superposition."
The machine just hadn't COMPUTED yet.The Kill
Here’s the insight:
"Superposition" isn't "both states at once."
Superposition is "computation hasn't run yet."The particle doesn’t “have” a state before observation because:
- The universe hasn’t COMPUTED it yet
- Observation IS the computation
- Collapse IS getting the result
BEFORE: no input → no forward pass → no output
AFTER: input → forward pass → output
The "spooky" part disappears when you realize:
- Reality is computed on-demand
- Not pre-existing and "revealed"Why This Matters
Wheeler said “it from bit” in 1989. Reality emerges from information.
But in 1989, nobody had:
- ChatGPT showing “thinking…”
- ML models running inference
- Daily experience of “computation creates result”
Now the pattern is obvious.
PHYSICS MYSTERY:
"Why doesn't the particle have a state before observation?"
ML INTUITION:
"Why would it? The forward pass hasn't run."TL;DR
| Quantum Concept | Tamed Version |
|---|---|
| Superposition | Weights exist, answer doesn’t yet |
| Observation | Input arrives, triggers computation |
| Wave function | The model before inference |
| Collapse | Forward pass runs |
| Definite state | Output token generated |
| ”Spooky” | Just lazy evaluation |
You Survived!
You now understand the observer effect better than most physics students.
The monster was never magic. It was just:
- Computation that hadn’t run yet
- Results that don’t exist until computed
- The universe doing lazy evaluation
Go flex at parties. But remember:
“The answer doesn’t exist before you ask. That’s not spooky. That’s just how computation works.” — A hunter who bonked physics
rune.みんな ᚦ bonk - we bonk the scary math so you don’t have to