Carl Feynman, son of American theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, pioneered cloth simulation in computer graphics at MIT in 1986. He was both amazed and concerned by AI’s rapid progress. After seeing an AI create a cloth animation in minutes, he shared his thoughts on X, noting how quickly artificial intelligence is outpacing human effort.
“I’m outdone by an AI in a few minutes. They still pay me, but for how long?” Feynman posted, acknowledging how quickly AI models are mastering complex simulations that once required months of research and powerful computers.
The conversation began when an X user shared their experience with Sonnet 3.7, an AI model with reasoning capabilities, which successfully generated an intricate cloth simulation in p5.js—a task that had stumped other leading AI models, including Grok 3 and o1 Pro.
“Can you write the most intricate cloth simulation in p5js,” was the prompt put by the X user.
Recognizing the significance of this breakthrough, the user said: “Wow, Sonnet 3.7 w/ Thinking just solved a problem no other model could solve yet.”
The reaction by Feynman to the simulation quickly gained traction, with the user pointing out Feynman’s legacy: “The man who literally invented modeling cloth in computer graphics at MIT in 1986 saw the video where Claude creates a cloth animation and says: ‘I’m outdone by an AI in a few minutes. They still pay me, but for how long?’”
Who is Carl Feynman?
Carl Feynman, the son of renowned physicist Richard Feynman, made significant contributions to computer graphics by developing early methods for simulating cloth movement. His work laid the groundwork for realistic fabric simulations used in films, video games, and virtual reality. In 1986, his master’s thesis, “Modeling the Appearance of Cloth,” was a pioneering achievement in the field.
Reflecting on that time, Feynman noted: “It took library research and cleverness and originality and months of work and days of time on big computers. Now I’m outdone by an AI in a few minutes.”
While AI continues to break barriers in computational creativity, Feynman’s words highlight an underlying concern: the speed at which AI is advancing, raising questions about the future of human expertise in fields that once relied on deep technical skill and years of experience.
