A Gateway Artificial Intelligence Research Program: Toward Experimental Investigation of Afterlife Hypotheses and Historical Information Retrieval
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) September 13, 2026 DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.22736334 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Proposes a phased, falsifiability-focused research program in which advanced AI and a hypothetical large-scale "artificial brain" would model Gateway-inspired altered states and test whether consciousness can access information associated with an alleged afterlife or retrieve anomalous information about past events. Argues that the Gateway Process should be treated as a source of testable hypotheses and a potential proto-scientific framework rather than established physics or neuroscience. |
Abstract
This essay proposes a speculative research program for investigating the Gateway Process using advanced artificial intelligence and a hypothetical large-scale “artificial brain.” It explores whether Gateway-inspired altered states of consciousness could potentially be modeled, experimentally tested, and used to investigate two extraordinary hypotheses: whether consciousness can obtain information associated with an alleged afterlife, and whether anomalous information retrieval concerning past events might be possible. Rather than assuming that the Gateway Process, afterlife, retrocausal information retrieval, or time travel has been scientifically established, the proposal emphasizes falsifiability, controlled experimentation, preregistration, statistical analysis, independent replication, and systematic elimination of conventional explanations. It outlines a phased research pathway progressing from Gateway phenomenology and computational modeling to blind information-retrieval experiments, historical-forensics applications, afterlife-related experiments, and eventually advanced artificial-consciousness research. The essay therefore treats Gateway as a source of testable hypotheses and a potential proto-scientific research framework rather than established physics or neuroscience. Its ultimate objective is to explore whether increasingly sophisticated AI systems could provide a rigorous experimental platform for investigating fundamental questions concerning consciousness, information, time, historical knowledge, and the possibility of postmortem consciousness.