Scientist claims Bible is proof that we are characters living in an advanced AI world

Mankind could be living in an advanced AI simulated world - similar to the depiction in the Matrix - and that that proof might be hiding in plain sight in the Bible, according to a scientist.

Melvin Vopson, an associate professor in physics at the University of Portsmouth, said the universe as we know if could be an advanced computer simulation. In an unusual move, he said proof for his hypothesis could be found in the Bible.

He pointed to the Gospel of John in the New Testament as having clues that he claimed demonstrated we live in a computer simulation. The Gospel of John starts with the well-known statement: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

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"The Bible itself tells us that we are in a simulation and it also tells us who is doing it," Vopson told MailOnline. "It is done by an AI - an artificial intelligence."

He added the verse from the Gospel of John holds "deep theological significance" in Christian doctrine. He added "the Word" in the passage referred to underlying computer code that governs the reported simulation.

The simulation hypothesises a well-established theory that claims humans are indeed living in a generated reality. Philosopher Nick Bostrom proposed the simulation argument in 2001 that said advanced civilisations could develop simulations that some human consciousnesses are part of.

It has been a popular topic in science fiction and also featured heavily in the Matrix movies.

The theory will sound familiar to anyone who has seen the sci-fi flick where the computer simulation is shown to be made from a series of numbers and letters. Vopson further claimed God could also be part of the simulation, not a separate entity.

He told MailOnline: "The code running the simulation is not separate from the divine, but rather an integral part of it, perhaps an AI." Vopson further claimed more passages referring to God's creation also indicated we lived in a simulated world.

"It implies a Creator who brought the simulated universe into existence through the Word (i.e. the code)," he said. "It suggests that the act of creation, as described in the Bible, could be analogous to a divine act of programming and simulation."

Vopson outlined his theory in his new book, "Reality Reloaded: The Scientific Case for a Simulated Universe." He later said it was not something he necessarily believes, but a thought that deserved attention.

"What is truly remarkable is that the interpretation given is fully aligned to the events of our times: the emergence of the AI, and also it is exactly what 'The Matrix' was projecting," he said.