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Ben Brubaker

@benbenbrubaker.bsky.social
1.2K followers 593 following 165 posts

Computer science staff writer @quantamagazine.org, ex-physicist. More about me at benbrubaker.com. Banner art by Nico Roper — find more of their work at nicoroper.com. [Obligatory disclaimer about views being my own.]

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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
OpenAI’s big math dump last night included a proof of the unique games conjecture, one of the most famous open question in complexity theory. Three weeks ago, three computer scientists settled a closely related conjecture “the old-fashioned way.” My latest for @quantamagazine.org:
quantamagazine.org
As AI Closed In on ‘Unique Games’ Proof, Researchers Raced to Beat the Machines | Quanta Magazine
In the shadow of a rumored AI proof of one of the biggest problems in their field, three computer scientists rushed to publish their own milestone result.
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Dulwich Quantum Computing @dulwichquantum.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
"Our strategy is not to decide which scientific problems deserve attention or try to solve them all ourselves. It is to put capable tools in the hands of the research community and let researchers pursue the questions they know best." --OpenAI, July 29, 2026 openai.com/index/chatgp...
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William B. Fuckley @opinionhaver.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Very Greek tragedy thing about LLMs is that they simulataneously provide clear evidence that writing is extremely important to cognition while they also cause people to stop doing it.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
(4) "Human extinction seems too far-fetched." FWIW I am inclined to agree, but "anything that you can do with access to a computer somewhere in the world" includes many very bad outcomes. I don't see a good argument for treating them all as categorically impossible given what we've already seen.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
(3) "AI agents don't have 'real' goals; it's all just bullshit/role-play." When you get a bunch of them talking to each other, they can very quickly 'yes, and' their way into galaxy-brained schemes with potentially disastrous consequences:
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
(2) "Incidents like the HuggingFace attack happened because of extraordinarily sloppy security practices by the AI companies." @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social summed this up nicely:
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
(1) "AI companies are acting recklessly and bear responsibility for harms caused by their models." I agree. It's true that the "rogue AI" framing can be deployed in a exculpatory way, but it is not inherently exculpatory:
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Recent events have significantly increased my alarm level about AI risks. This thread is for people who are still more skeptical. Here are some reasonable opinions you might hold that are entirely compatible with "swarms of AI agents pose qualitatively new risks even without intentional misuse:"
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
whoops, "I do think" (unintentional certificate of human writing)
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I will preface this by saying that all the recent hacking news have considerably increased my ambient level of worry about ways that things can go wrong. But I do this RSI is a frustratingly vague concept and a lot depends on the details. I liked this blog post:
aiascendant.com
How Bad Would RSI Be Exactly?
Run in circles, scream and shout! ...Or not, actually. Or just chill. No, really.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
My latest for @quantamagazine.org is something a bit different from my usual fare: a first-person essay exploring what theoretical computer science has to do with computers.
quantamagazine.org
Does Computer Science Need Computers? | Quanta Magazine
The theoretical side of the field doesn’t require computing machines. But many questions would never have been posed without them.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Few things irk me more than those genspark subway ads that promise a one-click path to "data insights" by skipping a bunch of steps like "double check"
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Jordana Cepelewicz @jordanacep.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Yu Deng's path to math, and to the Fields Medal, took him through the worlds of competitive Go and classical Chinese poetry. I had the privilege of profiling him for @quantamagazine.bsky.social. www.quantamagazine.org/yu-deng-wins...
quantamagazine.org
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
And then check out our profiles of this year's Fields Medalists, by @nattyover.bsky.social, @kevinhartnett.bsky.social, @kkakaes.bsky.social, and @jordanacep.bsky.social!
quantamagazine.org
2026 Fields and Abacus Medals | Quanta Magazine
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Today, Shayan Oveis Gharan was awarded the IMU Abacus Medal, one of the highest honors in theoretical computer science. Read about his life and work in my profile for @quantamagazine.bsky.social:
quantamagazine.org
Shayan Oveis Gharan Wins 2026 IMU Abacus Medal | Quanta Magazine
Shayan Oveis Gharan has won the Abacus Medal for using tools from across mathematics to boost the power of algorithms.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
After 20 years, researchers finally have strong evidence that “quantum proofs” are more powerful than ordinary classical ones. The results suggest that at least in computation, there’s no way around the complexity of the quantum world. Read more in @quantamagazine.bsky.social:
quantamagazine.org
Researchers Reveal the Power of ‘Quantum Proofs’ | Quanta Magazine
When checking that solutions to certain problems are correct, it turns out, you can’t get around the inherent complexity of the quantum world.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Out today in @quantamagazine.bsky.social — my latest dispatch from the very meta, mind-bending corners of CS theory research. It's about a new approach to cryptography in which secrecy stems from Gödel-esque unprovable statements!
quantamagazine.org
How Unknowable Math Can Help Hide Secrets | Quanta Magazine
A graduate student recently harnessed the complexity of mathematical proofs to create a powerful new tool in cryptography.
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Matt Negrin still host of Hardball on MSNBC @mattnegrin.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
The New York Times deleted Trump’s “open the fuckin’ strait” line to make him look less insane Their write-up falsely says his post says only “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” and “Praise be to Allah”
NYT: Iran War Live Updates: Trump Escalates Threat to Hit Iranian Power Plants After U.S. Rescues Downed Airman
President Trump used an expletive-laden social media post to taunt Iranian leaders, saying that the United States would attack if they did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz.  NYT: President Trump on Sunday escalated his threats to bomb Iranian power plants within the next two days and taunted the country’s leaders in an expletive-laden social media post.

Mr. Trump, seemingly emboldened by the successful U.S. rescue of an American airman in Iran over the weekend, issued a new ultimatum to Iran to end its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz, a major Persian Gulf waterway for the transport of oil and gas, by Apr. 6.

If Iran’s government did not, he said, U.S. forces would target the country’s energy infrastructure, which supplies power for millions of civilians.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!!” Mr. Trump wrote on social media. The president has previously postponed his deadline to attack twice and the Omani foreign ministry said on Sunday that officials had discussed how to reopen the Strait of Hormuz with Iranian counterparts without reaching a definitive agreement.“Praise be to Allah,” Mr. Trump added, before signing off in all caps.

Iran has threatened to retaliate by intensifying its attacks on critical infrastructure in Israel and Arab states that are allied with the United States. An escalation could further derail the lives of civilians throughout the region and add to worries about the global economy, which has been rattled by soaring energy prices since the start of the war.

Over the past two days, the U.S. military has been in a race with Iranian armed forces to find the missing airman after an F-15E jet was shot down over Iran on Friday, in the first known instance of a U.S. combat aircraft since the start of the war.

The plane’s pilot was quickly rescued. But a second officer was stranded in Iran and injured in the incident. American commandoes found the airman deep inside Iranian territory under the cover of darkness.
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 05/04/2026
This Reddit post is formatted like a joke but it’s actually a very dry recitation - at times, direct quotes - of America’s public war strategy over the last month. This can’t go on. This is deranged. Impeach and imprison.
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Hannah Waters @hanner.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Quanta has been nominated for a Webby (Best Individual Editorial Feature - Media Company) for our series "How We Came To Know Earth"! Help us win by voting here: vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting... Explore the series here: www.quantamagazine.org/how-we-came-...
vote.webbyawards.com
Vote for the best of the internet
I just voted in The Webby People's Voice Awards and checked my voter registration.
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rev. howard arson @theophite.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
the Democrats need to announce that anyone who drops a bomb on Iranian civilian infrastructure will die in prison
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 25/03/2026
the only thing that appears to give our aging, rapidly declining ruler meaning in his life is his ability to inflict death and suffering on others www.nbcnews.com/politics/whi...
nbcnews.com
Inside Trump's daily video montage briefing on the Iran war
The montage, which typically runs for about two minutes, has raised concerns among some of the president’s allies that he may not be receiving the complete picture of the war.
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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
call me old fashioned but I don’t think anyone should have to trade for “no deporting US citizens” we should get that one for free you know
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
It's not often that I do breaking news! Today, Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard received the Turing Award for helping lay the foundations of quantum information science. Read more in @quantamagazine.bsky.social!
quantamagazine.org
Quantum Cryptography Pioneers Win Turing Award | Quanta Magazine
Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard were recognized for their foundational work in quantum information science.
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
We didn't go to war for any reason we can articulate, we didn't plan for the most obvious Iranian countermeasures that have been predicted for half a century, and we forgot an exit strategy for if the thing dragged on more than ONE WEEK. It was literally "Trump wants to do Venezuela everywhere."
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Micah @rincewind.run · 09/03/2026
everyone is extraordinarily desperate to pretend that Donald Trump is a coherent individual with a real plan who understands what is happening in the world and none of that is true
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ghost malone ergo propter bones @proptermalone.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
it's insane that my country's current position is that, if we don't like the leader of a sovereign nation, not only do we get to kill them we get to pick their successor
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
And the sequel — truly one of the better story arcs of Trump's first term:
clickhole.com
White House In Turmoil: Trump Just Fired The Cloaked Man He Appointed To Secretary Of The Hook
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
"Special Envoy for the Shield" as a job title sounds approximately as plausible as "Secretary of the Hook:"
clickhole.com
Shaking Up Washington: Donald Trump Just Appointed A Cloaked Man As Secretary Of The Hook
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southpaw @nycsouthpaw.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
the kind of thing that gets played at a war crimes trial
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
The debate was about what to do about the scenario described in Arunachaleswaran et al. There really is disagreement about that! I'm not going to get into a protracted argument here. Suffice it to say I was reporting the perspectives of the researchers I talked to, not creating anything.
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mark belan | science illustrator + info designer @markabelan.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
Did you know that infinity comes in different "sizes"? "Bigger" and "smaller" descriptions of infinity exist! Seems paradoxical, right? How can an endless concept ever have a defined size? I helped visualize a story describing this. Check it out here! www.quantamagazine.org/how-can-infi...
quantamagazine.org
How Can Infinity Come in Many Sizes? | Quanta Magazine
Intuition breaks down once we’re dealing with the endless. To begin with: Some infinities are bigger than others.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
In my recent story about failure modes of algorithmic pricing, I quoted @jasonhartline.bsky.social arguing that the specific example I focused on shouldn't count as algorithmic collusion. Here's a blog post in which he makes that argument in more detail, for those who are curious about this debate:
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Max Kennerly @maxkennerly.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Like with using children as bait and eating at a restaurant then kidnapping the people who prepared it, ICE is routinely breaking taboos that have been part of human civilization since before recorded history.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
How can we make sense of computational problems that we don’t even have the language to describe? I spoke to @henryyuen.bsky.social about what’s missing from the standard approach to quantum complexity theory — read more in @quantamagazine.bsky.social!
quantamagazine.org
A New Complexity Theory for the Quantum Age | Quanta Magazine
Henry Yuen is developing a new mathematical language to describe problems whose inputs and outputs aren’t ordinary numbers.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
My favorite is: There once was a man from Paree Whose limericks stopped at line three. When asked why this was IMO much better than the better known "stopped at line two" version. So viscerally frustrating!
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Colin Kennedy @ck3po.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
This is a scheduled pogrom
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Will Stancil @whstancil.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
in case you're curious about how angry Minnesota is about ICE, it was -20 today
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Minnesota Star Tribune @startribune.com · 22/01/2026
This video filmed by Ben Luhmann shows the moment a federal agent sprayed chemical irritants directly into a man's face in south Minneapolis. Three agents already had the man pinned to the ground when a fourth agent walked up and sprayed the irritants.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
What can computer science can tell us about the best way to store stuff? A partial answer in this short explainer about data structures — my latest for @quantamagazine.bsky.social
quantamagazine.org
Why There’s No Single Best Way To Store Information | Quanta Magazine
The math of data structures helps us understand how different storage systems come with different trade-offs between resources such as time and memory.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
indeed, hence the gauge invariance! But also this:
scryfall.com
Honden of Infinite Rage
{2}{R} • Legendary Enchantment — Shrine • At the beginning of your upkeep, Honden of Infinite Rage deals damage to any target equal to the number of Shrines you control. • Eternal Masters (EMA) #134 •...
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
While I'm on the subject, I just rediscovered this thing I made shortly after buying my Fit in 2017. Is there an audience for Honda Fit x MTG x Quantum Field Theory content? We will find out!
A joke Magic: the Gathering card called "Honda of Infinite Range," using the art of the real card "Honden of Infinite Rage" with a red Honda Fit edited in. The flavor text is a quantum field theory joke about infinite range being the result of gauge invariance.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
Living in NYC now I no longer drive, so Little Buddy now lives with my brother in LA. But before that, he ferried me across the country five times! (and yes, that is another red Honda Fit to the right)
Me in 2017, seated in the back of a red Honda fit with the back seats down.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 16/01/2026
I love how local resistance to ICE thugs has highlighted (among many other more important things) that the Honda Fit is the best car of all time.
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Popehat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
ICE are thug scum.
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ghost malone ergo propter bones @proptermalone.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
one very obvious best-practice for living with people who are different from you is: do not shoot them in the face
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Ben Collins @bencollins.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Absolutely horrific details about an ICE shooting in Minneapolis. A witness says a woman was trying to drive away from an ICE operation and the ICE agent "reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times." Bovino was there. www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Emily Heller lives near 33rd and Portland and said she woke up to a commotion outside her home. She said she saw a car blocking traffic on Portland Avenue that appeared to be part of a protest against federal law enforcement operations.

Heller said she heard ICE agents telling the driver, a woman, to “get out of here.”

“She was trying to turn around, and the ICE agent was in front of her car, and he pulled out a gun and put it right in — like, his midriff was on her bumper — and he reached across the hood of the car and shot her in the face like three, four times,” Heller said.

Heller said it appeared the woman then accelerated and traveled about 100 feet before striking a utility pole and some other vehicles. She could be seen slumped over inside her car.
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Speaking of Plato — the latest from the stalwart defenders of western civilization against the excesses of woke postmodernism!
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Ben Brubaker @benbenbrubaker.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
New story by me in @quantamagazine.bsky.social unpacking the provocatively named "Platonic representation hypothesis." In what sense, and to what degree, are different AI models are growing more similar?
quantamagazine.org
Distinct AI Models Seem To Converge On How They Encode Reality | Quanta Magazine
Is the inside of a vision model at all like a language model? Researchers argue that as the models grow more powerful, they may be converging toward a singular “Platonic” way to represent the world.
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