What is the Singularity?
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The document discusses the concept of the technological singularity, which is the hypothetical point in time when artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence and continue to exponentially self-improve, resulting in unfathomable changes. Vernor Vinge introduced this idea in 1993, arguing that exponential growth in technology will reach a point where the future cannot be predicted. The document outlines key aspects of the singularity like accelerating progress, positive feedback loops, and the idea that humanity may be unable to comprehend advanced AI once it surpasses human intelligence.
![Rapture of the Nerds? The idea of a technological singularity is sometimes derided as the Rapture of the Nerds, a phrase invented by SF writer Ken MacLeod [ update : this isn’t true, see his comment ] and popularized by SF writers Charlie Stross and Cory Doctorow Steven Smithee, Black Belt Bayesian](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/singularity-12706787859707-phpapp01/85/What-is-the-Singularity-9-320.jpg)
What is the Singularity?
- 1. What is The Singularity?
- 2. What? The technology singularity is a speculative time at which technological progress accelerates beyond the ability of current-day human beings to understand.
- 3. Vinge’s Vision "Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly thereafter, the human era will be ended.“ Vernor Steffen Vinge , 1993
- 4. The Essay In his essay, The Technological Singularity , Professor Vinge argues that exponential growth in technology will reach a point beyond which we cannot even speculate about the consequences. Vinge's Singularity is that time horizon when we can no longer say anything useful about the future.
- 5. No limit: Science Fiction Vernor Vinge, in his series of stories 'The Peace War' and 'Marooned in Real Time' implicitly assumed that there was no limit to how far technology could progress, or that the limit was very very high. The pace of progress became very rapid, and then at some point mankind simply disappeared in some mysterious way. It is implied that they ascended to the next level of existence or something. From the point of view of the 20th century, mankind had become incomprehensively different.
- 6. Human Progress characterized by an accelerating rate of technological progress. caused by a positive feedback loop: more brains to think, those brains have more knowledge to work with, and more time to spend on coming up with new ideas.
- 7. The Name
- 8. Pace of change Vinge’s philosophy refers to the pace of technological change increasing to such a degree that a person who doesn't keep pace with it will rapidly find civilization to have become completely incomprehensible. (have you seen The Matrix?)
- 9. Rapture of the Nerds? The idea of a technological singularity is sometimes derided as the Rapture of the Nerds, a phrase invented by SF writer Ken MacLeod [ update : this isn’t true, see his comment ] and popularized by SF writers Charlie Stross and Cory Doctorow Steven Smithee, Black Belt Bayesian
- 10. The Book The singularity is near: when humans transcend biology By Ray Kurzweil
- 11. The Movie Non-biological intelligence will have access to its own design and will be able to improve itself in an increasingly rapid redesign cycle. We’ll get to a point where technical progress will be so fast that unenhanced human intelligence will be unable to follow it. That will mark the Singularity. The Movie Ray Kurzweil
- 12. Resources: Singularity Summit Singularity Institute MIT Technology in Review