What I Mean by Open Research

Some of the most interesting problems in the world sit in the gaps between fields. They are not fully claimed by any one discipline, so they often get less attention than they deserve. They can be too speculative for engineering, too applied for pure theory, and too unconventional for institutions that need every line of work to fit a clear category from the start.

People collaborating around a table — Open research thrives on collaboration across disciplines

I started Ivan’s AI Lab because I wanted a place to work on those questions in the open.

Robot representing artificial intelligence — AI tools are transforming how research is conducted and shared

This site is a research notebook - a place to share experiments, project updates, and ideas as they develop. The focus areas include artificial intelligence, physics, energy, gravity, and first-principles thinking. The common thread is not a single topic. It is a method: start from fundamentals, ask honest questions, and follow the answers wherever they lead.

Person writing and researching — Sharing findings openly accelerates the pace of discovery

Why first principles matter here

First-principles thinking gets talked about a lot, often loosely. What I mean by it is simple: go back to the foundational assumptions behind a problem and check whether they still hold. Not because established knowledge should be dismissed, but because sometimes the question itself changes when you look at it more carefully.

In AI, that means thinking about what intelligence actually requires, not only what performs well on benchmarks.

In physics, it means revisiting how we think about energy, fields, and interactions at a fundamental level - not to reject science, but to explore it carefully from angles that may reveal something useful.

That distinction matters to me. This is not a site for contrarianism. It is a site for careful, grounded exploration.

What open research means in practice

Open research, as I use the term, means three things.

First, the work is shared as it happens. You will not only see polished results. You will also see reasoning, experiments, dead ends, and course corrections. Real research is messy, and there is value in showing that honestly.

Second, the questions are genuinely open. I am interested in problems where the answer is not predetermined - where the investigation may lead somewhere unexpected. That includes work in AI systems and tools, and it also includes deeper questions in physics, energy, and gravity that deserve thoughtful attention.

Third, the purpose is practical. “Open research for a better world” is not just a slogan. The work here is meant to move toward useful tools, clearer models, stronger ideas, and better ways of thinking.

What you will find here

Future posts will cover a range of topics. Some will be technical, walking through AI experiments, code, or systems. Some will be more reflective, exploring a question or an idea from first principles. Some will touch on physics, gravity, and energy - areas where I believe there are still meaningful questions worth exploring carefully and seriously.

The common thread across all of it is clear thinking, honest reporting, and a willingness to work on hard problems without pretending to have all the answers.

If that kind of work interests you, this site is for you. I will be sharing experiments, project notes, and deeper questions as they develop.