The Singularity could bring about a positive future for humanity
March 26 2008 / by futuretalk
Category: Technology Year: Beyond Rating: 14 Hot
By Dick Pelletier
Imagine living in an ageless, disease-free body with youthful
looks, superhuman strength and a brain that can outthink computers.
Now further envision an affluent, happy, crime-free world without
dangerous storms, tsunamis, or unbearable weather. 
These are just some of the incredible achievements in our lives and world that futurists believe humanity could accomplish after mid-century when we experience what scientists refer to as the Singularity, a point in time when technologies progress so fast that it becomes nearly impossible to comprehend the changes.
Experts reason that if computing power keeps doubling every eighteen months as it has done for the last fifty years, by the late 2020s computers will equal the abilities of the human mind. From there, it is only a small step to a machine that surpasses human brainpower.
There would then be little point in our building future computers; ultra-intelligent machines could design better ones, and build them faster, increasing the brainpower with each new generation. This trend will result in an intelligence explosion unlike anything the world has ever experienced.
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Futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts the Singularity will help us redesign the human body into an almost immortal form, eliminating sickness and unwanted death. “We will create a billion-fold increase in intelligence by strengthening our brains with nanoneurons,” Kurzweil says, “and we will interface our minds directly with machines to absorb additional intelligence created by powerful supercomputers.”
Other benefits of the Singularity include nanobots that will eliminate earthquakes, control weather, and end global warming. A recent Congressional technology report stated that “Most of today’s problems, including material scarcity, human health, and environmental degradation, could all be solved with tomorrow’s technologies.”
During the last half of this century, Kurzweil and nano-theorist Robert Freitas predict we will build radical changes into our bodies, making us nearly indestructible with amazing abilities. Our futuristic body could even be designed to not require breathable air, food, or water.
Extreme temperatures; even bullets and knives will not harm us; yet, high-tech sensors in our “nano-skin” will enhance touch and smell, giving us even greater pleasures than we experience with today’s biological bodies.
And with neurons processing data at supercomputer speeds, we will experience an intelligence boost, enabling fast, clear “thought communication” between each other and with the Internet. We will run thousands of “what-if” simulations when interacting with others, insuring that we always make the best decisions.
Today, we are in the midst of explosive growth in information technologies that when merged with the Singularity, will push us to a time when all of the world’s knowledge will be accessible on demand with just our thoughts. Television, telephone, and web content will all be seamlessly integrated and available by thought command anytime.
Every TV program and movie ever produced will be accessed by just thinking about it. And instead of making phone calls with this futuristic system, we will make “thought calls.” Just think of whom you wish to communicate with, and you’re connected. And with their permission, you will be able to see through their eyes; even share their feelings.
Though this wild scenario may sound more like fiction than science, experts believe that this positive view of our “magical future” could unfold after humanity experiences the amazing Singularity.
Comment Thread (2 Responses)
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I think it is unreasonable to expect that simple doubling of processing power will lead to computers with greater than human intelligence. It is almost like me expecting to paint better than Leonardo da Vinci if only I learn to move my brush fast enough.
Posted by: johnfrink April 04, 2008
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I agree, simply doubling computing power will not produce machines with human-like intelligence. It will first require that researchers unlock the mysteries of consciousness, which many believe could happen as early as 2020.
Then, armed with this knowledge, it’s just a short hop to programming our parallel human processing into machines, and allowing the machines to develop what some refer to as “strong” AI. Many believe that by mid-2030s or so, this strong AI entity could surpass human intelligence.
Posted by: futuretalk April 07, 2008
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