Technological singularity

In future studies, a technological singularity (also referred to as just the Singularity) is a predicted future event when technological progress and societal change accelerate due to the advent of superhuman intelligence, changing our environment beyond the ability of pre-Singularity humans to comprehend or reliably predict. This event is named by analogy with the breakdown of modern physics knowledge near the gravitational singularity of a black hole.

Singularity technologies

Futurists speculate about many technologies possibly significant in bringing about the Singularity. They often dispute the details of their arrival, and of course some may depend on or expedite the invention of others. While many such disputes exist, this section shows some of the most common themes among their predictions.

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Some believe artificial intelligence capable of repeated self-modification and improvement, known as a seed AI, if possible, would likely cause a technological singularity. Much of the work of the Singularity Institute is built upon this belief.

Related Topics:
Artificial intelligence - Seed AI - Singularity Institute

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The potential dangers of molecular nanotechnology, such as the "grey goo" scenario, are widely known outside of futurist and transhumanist communities, and many Singularitarians consider it to be one of the most significant existential risks facing humanity. For this reason, they often believe that nanotechnology should be preceded by seed AI, and that nanotechnology should remain unavailable to pre-Singularity society. Others, such as the Foresight Institute, advocate efforts to create molecular nanotechnology, believing that nanotechnology can be made safe for pre-Singularity use or can expedite the arrival of a beneficial singularity.

Related Topics:
Molecular nanotechnology - Grey goo - Singularitarians - Existential risk - Seed AI - Foresight Institute

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Some believe direct brain-computer interfaces may improve memory, computational capacity, communications, and knowledge bases. Modern human-computer interfaces may also be seen as intelligence augmentations: expert systems, software recognizing and predicting human behavior patterns, speech and handwriting recognition software, etc. Intelligence enhancement through drugs and genetic engineering (beyond that which is provided by modern nootropics) may also soon be possible.

Related Topics:
Direct brain-computer interfaces - Memory - Expert system - Speech - Handwriting recognition - Genetic engineering - Nootropics

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Mind uploading is a proposed alternative means of creating artificial intelligence—instead of programming a new intelligence, one copies an existing human intelligence into a digital form. The advances in scanning technologies, computational power, and neurology needed for mind uploading make it seem unlikely in a pre-Singularity world, however.

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George Dyson speculates in Darwin Among the Machines that a sufficiently complex computer network may produce "swarm intelligence". AI researchers may use the improved computing resources of the future to create artificial neural networks so large and powerful they become generally intelligent. Advocates of Friendly AI see this as "brute-forcing" the problem of creating AI, and likely to produce unacceptably immoral and dangerous forms of artificial intelligence.

Related Topics:
George Dyson - Computer network - Swarm intelligence - Friendly AI - Immoral

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Singularity speculations often concern the theoretical limits of computation power. Some researchers claim that even without quantum computing, using advanced nanotechnology, matter could be engineered to have unimaginably vast computational capacities. Such material is referred to as computronium among futurists. Some speculate that entire planets or stars may be converted into computronium, creating "Jupiter Brains" and "Matrioshka Brains" respectively.

Related Topics:
Quantum computing - Nanotechnology - Computronium - Jupiter Brain - Matrioshka Brain

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