Firstprinciples·30 days ago
Overview:
FirstPrinciples is an independent, non-profit research organization building Theo, the AI Physicist - an autonomous scientific system designed to reason about fundamental physics from first principles. Our long-term vision is to accelerate deep scientific discovery by combining machine reasoning with human scientific judgment.
As part of this effort, we are launching the Theo Collaborators Program: a small, selective group of expert physicists who will work with us to validate, guide, and stress-test the scientific reasoning produced by the AI Physicist in a focused research domain. This is not a tool evaluation program, and it is not a traditional advisory role. Collaborators engage with a concrete scientific direction, help assess whether the system’s reasoning is sound, and contribute to shaping what “good AI-generated physics” should look like.
Current Scientific Focus (2026):
For the initial phase, we are focused on Quantum Information Theory, with emphasis on narrow, formalizable sub-fields where rigorous reasoning and constraint-based results are possible.
Representative areas include:
The goal is depth over breadth: producing AI-assisted theoretical results that are technically coherent, non-trivial, and respectable to the physics community.
What Theo Collaborators Do:
Theo Collaborators engage at critical points in the research cycle:
Question Validation & Framing
Shaping Question Ranking & Evaluation Criteria
This input directly informs how the AI Physicist prioritizes which questions to pursue deeply.
Scientific Validation of Research Outputs
This feedback directly informs how we evolve the Theo’s architecture and helps ensure that its outputs meet the standards of serious theoretical physics.
What is a DRO?
The primary scientific output of the AI Physicist is a Dynamic Research Object (DRO).
A DRO goes beyond a traditional paper and serves as a dynamic, traceable, and reproducible container that captures:
DROs are designed to make the entire scientific workflow (including failed paths) auditable and understandable by humans.
A core goal of the Theo Collaborators Program is to help ensure that these DROs are scientifically sound, coherent, and credible.
Who This Is For
We are looking for researchers who:
Typical profiles include:
Time Commitment & Compensation
Collaborators receive a modest honorarium (USD $5k for the term), reflecting the value of their time and expertise.
Why Participate?
Collaborators join to:
How to Express Interest:
If this resonates, we welcome a brief expression of interest (no formal application required), including:
Join us at FirstPrinciples and be a part of a transformative journey where science drives progress and unlocks the potential of humanity.