Is it possible for ChatGPT to decide the Halting Problem?

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BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Question restated: Is it possible for ChatGPT to decide the Halting Problem?

Option 1: 'No, because the Halting Problem is not even recognisable' This claim is incorrect in the standard theory of computation. The Halting Problem is recognizable (semi-decidable) in the sense that there exists a Turing machine that will halt on all inputs for which the program halts, but it is not decidable. Saying it is not recognisable confuses recognizability with decidability.

Option 2: 'No, the Halting Problem is not decidable' This is the correct position. The Halting Problem is a classic undecidable problem proven by Alan Turing. There is no general algorithm that can determine, for every possible program and input, whether the program will halt or run forever. This result establishes fundamental limits on what can be computed by machines.

Option 3: 'Not yet, but possible in the future with quantum GPUs' This statement incorrectly suggests that hardware advances like quantum GPUs could overcome computability limits. Undecidability is a theoretical boundary independent of hardware; no physical device can solve the Halting Problem in all cases because the issue is about what can be computed by any algorithm, not about practical speed or resources.

Option 4: 'Yes, just needs the right prompts' This is a misunderstanding of what a prompt can do. A prompt guides an algorithmic process but cannot enable a general solution to a decision problem that is provably undecidable. No prompt can produce a universal halting-decider for all programs and inputs.

Additional note: The Halting Problem's undecidability is a proof of limitation for computability theory, not something that depends on current AI capabilities or prompt engineering. The correct understanding is that no algorithm, regardless of prompt design or computational power, can decide halting for all possible program-input pairs.

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Is it possible for ChatGPT to decide the Halting Problem?

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Is it possible for ChatGPT to decide the Halting Problem?

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