That’s right. Computers aren’t really random. What you get from Google’s random number generator (RNG) is not pure randomness.
Computers aren’t supposed to generate randomness. The reason for this is software and hardware, both of which run on Boolean logic, and not probability, and this makes deterministic, and not random, outcomes. However, some computer systems have tricks up their sleeves in order to “use and manipulate randomness.” In other words, there may be ways with which we can make deterministic machines generate randomness.
One of the most recent efforts comes from Mansinghka’s group at MIT, which will present an algorithm called Fast Loaded Dice Roller, or FLDR, at the online International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Statistics this August.
More details about this over at Quanta Magazine.
(Image Credit: Pixabay)
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