More is Different in AI—More is the Same in Physics

“More is Different” (MiD) is one of the most influential scientific and philosophical viewpoints during the last six decades, highlighting the limitations of the reductionist approach in describing complex macroscopic systems. Decades later, the emergence of machine learning applications requires examining the relevance of MiD to artificial intelligence (AI). We show that from an informatics viewpoint classical spin systems obey “More is The Same” (MiTS), whereas MiD is associated with deep learning. In addition, MiTS is also attributed to quantum systems in which quantum computational tasks obey MiD. This suggests a more general principle of informatics, where systems governed by causal physical laws obey MiTS, where purposeful tasks demanding vitalism adhere to MiD. According to causal laws, the current system state is derived deterministically or probabilistically from its past, whereas the current action in purposeful tasks is selected to achieve a future goal.