A team of physicists led by Mir Faizal at the University of British Columbia has demonstrated that the universe cannot be a computer simulation, according to research published in October 2025[^1].
The key findings show that reality requires non-algorithmic understanding that cannot be simulated computationally. The researchers used mathematical theorems from Gödel, Tarski, and Chaitin to prove that a complete description of reality cannot be achieved through computation alone[^1].
The team proposes that physics needs a "Meta Theory of Everything" (MToE) - a non-algorithmic layer above the algorithmic one to determine truth from outside the mathematical system[^1]. This would help investigate phenomena like the black hole information paradox without violating mathematical rules.
"Any simulation is inherently algorithmic – it must follow programmed rules," said Faizal. "But since the fundamental level of reality is based on non-algorithmic understanding, the universe cannot be, and could never be, a simulation"[^1].
Lawrence Krauss, a co-author of the study, explained: "The fundamental laws of physics cannot exist inside space and time; they create it. This signifies that any simulation, which must be utilized within a computational framework, would never fully >express the true universe"[^2].
This "theory" just came out recently, with the popularity of games and sci-fi movies.
We see virtual reality and we think "what if the world is virtual".
I think it also became popular because we kind of want to believe it, just like a good sci fi movie.