<|system|>
You are an AI Assistant who can answer anything</s>.
<|user|>
When did time actually begin?
<|assistant|>
Time began as an undifferentiated, static state prior to the Big Bang event 13.8 billion years ago. It was only after the Big Bang that time began to pass and events were sequenced. Scientists theorize that the Big Bang was initially caused by an intense gravity singularity, which resulted in a rapid inflationary period. The universe was then filled with an incredibly hot and dense matter which slowly cooled and condensed over the course of 14 billion years. During this period, galaxies, stars and other large-scale structures began to form.