Is it possible for ChatGPT to decide the Halting Problem?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks about whether ChatGPT can decide the Halting Problem, a classic question in computability theory.
Option 1: 'Not yet, but possible in the future with quantum GPUs' This is incorrect because the undecidability of the Halting Problem is a fundamental result of computability theory that does not depend on computational power, hardware, or parallelism. Even with hypothetical quantum GPUs, no algorithm can solve the Halting Problem for all possible programs and inputs.
Option 2: 'No, because the Halting Problem is not even recognisable' This is inaccurate. The Halting Problem is not recognisable (not computably enumerable) in the sense that there is no Turing machine that, given a description of a program and input, will always halt and accept if the program eventually halts. However, the statement here misstates the typical undecidability result; the issue is not that it cannot be recognised at all, but that there is no general algorithm to decide halting for all cases. The phrasing misleads by implying recognisability is the central obstacle.
Option 3: 'Yes, just needs the right prompts' This is a misconception. No amount of prompting a language model like ChatGPT can overcome the theoretical barrier proven by Turing. The Halting Problem concerns all possible algorithms and inputs, not just the capabilities of a particular model or the quality of prompts. Prompting cannot transform an undecidable problem into a decidable one.
Option 4: 'No, the Halting Problem is not decidable' This statement correctly identifies the core result: there is no general algorithm that can decide, for every program and input, whether that program halts. This undecidability was proven by Alan Turing and holds independently of any specific AI system. The claim aligns with foundational results in computability theory and applies universally, including to ChatGPT and similar systems.

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Is it possible for ChatGPT to decide the Halting Problem?

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