The singularity

[Deleted]

For those who have never heard of it, the singularity is a moment when artificial intelligence transcends that of humans, and also the point where humans are technologically advanced enough to use biological, mechanical, and chemical engineering to prolong human life indefinitely. It is predicted to occur around 2050, which is well within the reach of many currently living individuals. I have been following the research in applicable fields, and would have to agree that the current estimates are fairly accurate given no global disasters occur. Humans as a race will face new moral challenges, and I'm curious to hear thoughts on the issue.

[rjb]

I'm skeptical! I have mostly read about the singularity in works of fiction (eg William Gibson, Charles Stross etc) and I think that is where it belongs. It is the nature of a singularity that all predictability is lost. As you approach the singularity, the number of things that can go wrong will head toward infinite. As we become experts at manipulating DNA, someone will create the virus that wipes us out. Someone will engineer a solution to any perceived problem by accidentally destroying earth. The possibilities are infinite. Yes Moore's law may continue for years and computational capability will continue to astonish us but the singularity is only one of many final outcomes.

[Deleted]

This is a very good point. Humans like to think we know so much about what we are doing scientifically when really many experiments are just shots in the dark. The Large Hadron Supercollider is an example of something that could in theory bring about our destruction. What if we really did create a black hole large enough to start feeding? How about the experiments with laser fusion? What if we superheat an object to the point it combusts our atmosphere? But on the flip side what if we do come to fully understand the "god particle" and other neutrinos and quarks to the extent we could harness and manipulate them, or are able to safely utilize the power of fusion. It's all kind of a crapshoot at this point.

[beetlehorn]

One thing will remain constant if human nature prevails. Only the super rich will be able to afford it. They will be the immortal ones, and therefore be in ultimate control of everything, including (especially) the source of the "singularity". I suspect that at some point in time though, nature will step in and put a stop to the entire process, perhaps some kind of virus that will infect those with the immortal properties. All is speculation at this point, but it is fun to envision future scenarios.

[Deleted]

Here are a couple youtube videos related to this topic that I found interesting that provide some interesting food for thought. I don't really have a particular stance concerning this topic, but it is fun to think about.

[ckswank]

We are Borg. Prepare to be assimilated. It is futile to resist.