Wave function collapse
My mind went to probabilities and subatomic wave packets when I heard wave function collapse, but it turns out there's a novel algorithm that borrows ideas from entropy to generate random outputs.
In quantum mechanics, the idea of wave function collapse is open to interpretation. At some point, the fuzzy clouds of the probable appear to collapse into the definite, and we form an orderly group behind Everett or Heisenberg and Bohr.
If, however, you’re trying to generate some beautiful digital art, wave function collapse means a random permutation of lowest entropy, with the possibility of backtracking.
What that means in simpler terms is an iteration (or recursion) where we compute the possible states, selecting options with the fewest. Of those, we select a random option, and continue our traversal.
Procedural generation becomes a relative breeze without the need for a costly LLM.