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.

The Singularity in fiction and modern culture

In addition to the Vernor Vinge stories that pioneered Singularity ideas, several other science fiction authors have written stories that involve the Singularity as a central theme. Notable authors include William Gibson, Charles Stross, Greg Egan, Greg Bear, Iain M. Banks, Neal Stephenson, Damien Broderick, Jacek Dukaj and Cory Doctorow. Ken MacLeod describes the Singularity as "the Rapture for nerds" in his 1998 novel The Cassini Division. Singularity themes are common in cyberpunk novels, one of the most famous examples being the recursively self-improving AI Neuromancer from William Gibson's novel of the same name. Some earlier science fiction works such as Isaac Asimov's The Last Question and John W. Campbell's The Last Evolution also feature technological singularities. A 1994 novel published on Kuro5hin called The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect depicts life after an AI-initiated Singularity.

Related Topics:
Vernor Vinge - William Gibson - Charles Stross - Greg Egan - Greg Bear - Iain M. Banks - Neal Stephenson - Damien Broderick - Jacek Dukaj - Cory Doctorow - Ken MacLeod - Rapture - Nerd - The Cassini Division - Cyberpunk - Neuromancer - Isaac Asimov - The Last Question - John W. Campbell - 1994 - Kuro5hin - The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect

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Orion's Arm, an online science fiction world-building project, also features several technological singularities as part of its premise. The computer game Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri also features something akin to a singularity, called the "Ascent to Transcendence", as a major theme within it.

Related Topics:
Orion's Arm - Science fiction - World-building - Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

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The TV series Odyssey 5s plotline revolves around technological singularity and related technologies as well. The film The Matrix can be described as taking place in a post-Singularity world. A two-part segment of The Animatrix entitled The Second Renaissance portrays the human race engaged in a desperate war with sentient machines following Singularity. An earlier example of technological singularity in the form of computer intelligence is the 1969 film '. In the film, the U.S. defense supercomputer Colossus achieves a self-aware state through increasingly complex mathematical formulation. Once Colossus becomes self-aware, it links with its Soviet counterpart, Guardian. Together this new form of intelligence imposes peace on humans unilaterally.

Related Topics:
Odyssey 5 - The Matrix - The Animatrix - The Second Renaissance - Self-aware - Soviet - Peace

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An alternative ending is explored in The Terminator, where the Skynet AI becomes self-aware and decides that the only way to eliminate its enemies is to launch nuclear weapons and exterminate the humans in a Holocaust. The Singularity is also presented in many anime movies and series, such as Akira, Neon Genesis Evangelion, RahXephon and Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040.

Related Topics:
The Terminator - Skynet - Nuclear weapons - Holocaust - Anime - Akira - Neon Genesis Evangelion - RahXephon - Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040

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If one was to categorize the fiction by Singularity "type", one's list might resemble:

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• Sentient AIs and technologically augmented humans: Charles Stross, Jacek Dukaj, The Culture of Iain M. Banks, the Deus Ex computer games, the Halo video game series.
• Sentient AIs and baseline humans (sometimes referred to as a local Singularity): Cylons of Battlestar Galactica (new version), ', The Matrix, Terminator
• Biologically evolved humans ascending/ed: The Ancients of Stargate SG1/Atlantis, Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri.
• Technologically augmented humans ascending/ed: The Gentle Seduction by Marc Stiegler.