David Deutsch
Also known as David Elieser Deutsch
David Deutsch is an Oxford physicist who has argued that artificial intelligence must be possible. In 1985 he proposed the universal quantum computer, and in 1992 he and Richard Jozsa showed that a quantum computer could make use of multiple branches of the multiverse to solve problems. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2008, and his book The Beginning of Infinity appeared in 2011. His Aeon essay 'Creative blocks' came out in October 2012. As of October 2026, he is a non-stipendiary visiting professor of physics at Oxford.
- Now at
- University of Oxford
- Works
- 85
- Citations
- 16,121
- h-index
- 29
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 15 October 2026.
Timeline
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1953
Early life in Haifa and Cambridge
He is born in Haifa, Israel, in 1953 and studies physics at Cambridge and Oxford.
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1985–1992
The universal quantum computer
In 1985 he proposes the idea of a universal quantum computer. In 1992, with Richard Jozsa, he shows that a quantum computer could make use of multiple branches of the multiverse to solve problems.
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2008
Fellow of the Royal Society
He is elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2008, and his research covers the quantum theory of computation and constructor theory.
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2011
The Beginning of Infinity
He publishes The Beginning of Infinity in 2011, a popular science book that covers knowledge creation.
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October 2012
Creative blocks essay on artificial intelligence
In October 2012 he publishes the Aeon essay 'Creative blocks', which argues that the laws of physics imply that artificial intelligence must be possible.
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2017–2018
Dirac and Micius prizes
He receives the Dirac Medal and Prize of the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in 2017. In 2018 he receives the Micius Quantum Prize.
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2021–2023
Newton medal and Breakthrough Prize
He receives the Institute of Physics Isaac Newton Medal and Prize in 2021. In 2022 he is awarded the 2023 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics.
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As of October 2026
A visiting professorship at Oxford
As of October 2026, he is a non-stipendiary visiting professor of physics at Oxford, a post he has held since 1999.
Sources and credits
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