Judea Pearl on why he does research: the puzzles are fun even if no one watches
yudapearl · x · 2026-10-13
Responding to a tease that he does research "just for fun," causal AI pioneer Judea Pearl says he would keep going even if nobody paid attention — the work answers puzzles he genuinely has, and that's fun. When those puzzles are shared by others, a "field" forms and fun is joined by pride. He's glad Google Scholar makes such connections possible. A candid reflection on research motivation and how academic fields emerge.
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