/sci/ - Science & Math

[Anonymous No.2562357]

Raymond Kurzweil predicts that the year 2045 is the year that a technological event called "The Singularity", which is defined as "the moment when technological change becomse so rapid and profound, it represents a rapture in the fabric of human history"

Basically its the year humans create hyper-intelligent AI, and technology advances at such a rate that humans themselves become obselete. Death can be avoided by downloading the conciousness into a computer and live in a virtual world, or live in a cyborg like state, with superpowered computers acting as prosthetics.

This rapid boom in technology will also lead to profitable space exploration and its theoretically possible that we will be colonizing the galaxy by the end of the century.
What are your thoughts on this? Would you replace your aging fleshy body with one of silicone and steel? Would you save a backup of your mind to a server bank? I know this is all theoretical but its really interesting stuff.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.2562369]

Sounds Accelerando.
Also transhumanism =/= singularity

[Anonymous No.2562370]

>superpowered computers

derp... meant to say implantable supercomputers

[Anonymous No.2562380]

>>2562369

the singularity will lead to transhumanism.

[AcidFrippFag (Manifestation of Lord Vish/mu/) !!aA0GbTMNLDz No.2562386]

>>2562357
I wouldn't do it; I'd rather die than be immortal. This "immortality" stuff just isn't for me.

If you want to do it, though, by all means, more power to you. Go ahead, m'boy.

[Anonymous No.2562377]

>Death can be avoided by downloading the conciousness into a computer and live in a virtual world
I don't think so tim

[Anonymous No.2562378]

think about the technological advances from 1911 until now. I would say its possible.

[Anonymous No.2562390]

Wish-thinking, romanticism of technology, destruction of responsibility -- that about sums it up.

[Anonymous No.2562394]

>Raymond Kurzweil predicts
>Death can be avoided by downloading the conciousness into a computer
>theoretically possible that we will be colonizing the galaxy by the end of the century.

You are naive, retarded, and ignorant. In that order.

[Anonymous No.2562415]

Kurzweil is a chump, trying to sell books.

As fiction, his writing can be entertaining, but don't for a minute take him seriously. His evidence for exponential progress is blatantly cherry-picked. His "predictions" are no better than guesswork.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.2562419]

>>2562380
Transhumanism is fully possible without a singularity.

[Inurdaes !V1sPhobos. No.2562422]

>>2562386

[Anonymous No.2562432]

>>2562415
I think its based on Moorse law

[Anonymous No.2562438]

>>2562432
Yeah the guy who invented exponents also inventd morse code. Dude is a genius so you gots to believe him.

[Anonymous No.2562458]

>implying we'll even make it to 2013

[Anonymous No.2562465]

I remember reading a story about the Singularity. In it, humans finally succeed in creating a sentient and sapient computer that can learn at an exponential rate. Within hours of its "awakening," it's rearranging the stellar alignment of the Milky Way.

[Anonymous No.2562473]

[Anonymous No.2562477]

[Anonymous No.2562485]

I doubt it.

[Anonymous No.2562486]

>>2562438

[Anonymous No.2562492]

>>2562422
This post makes SENS

[Anonymous No.2562499]

>it's flying car bullshit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers

[Anonymous No.2562503]

>he thinks you can make a machine that flys

[Anonymous No.2562509]

>>2562499

Flight decreased the transportation time and costs in a variety of ways, but it didn't create a late 19th century singularity. We've been waiting more than 100 years for our flying cars, where are they?

[Anonymous No.2562516]

>>2562473
>>2562477
Which is more pretentious, this or Dresden Codak?

[Anonymous No.2562528]

>>2562357
As good as it sounds, it's still a prediction, can't rely on it simply for the fact it 'sounds cool'.
Also, that implies we'll survive through the infamous 2012 apocalypse prediction.

[Anonymous No.2562533]

>>2562509
>implying the invention of flight didn't create one of many cultural and technological 'singularities' hitherto unparalleled in human history


Herp to the square root of derp.

[Anonymous No.2562531]

>>2562516
Dresden Codak pretends to be deep by referencing first-year philosophy and physics.

Pictures for Sad Children is biting social commentary :V

[Anonymous No.2562539]

>>2562509
They've been around for a long time. They're just not practical.

[Anonymous No.2562543]

>>2562509
they definitely can be done, its not economically profitable though. Just because we CAN do something, doesn't mean its better than what we already have.

[Anonymous No.2562545]

If it really happens, it'll be interesting to see. But can incomprehensible intelligence alone bring about peace and the end of suffering - for all?

[Anonymous No.2562546]

>>2562531
>Pictures for Sad Children is biting social commentary

This actually got to me. I'm losing my edge.

Time to go to bed.

[Anonymous No.2562549]

>>2562533
Flight changed a swathe of things, but it stemmed from a variety of other scientific changes. I suggest reading and/or watching James Burke's Connection series for the whole story (if you aren't a scientific isolate).

Most materials are still shipped by boats or train, most information is transmitted by wire and satellite. See how science isn't exactly an escalating concept but a pastiche of different needs and wants?

[Anonymous No.2562558]

>>2562509
I think the biggest obstacle is finding a way for a flying car to not consume as much fuel as a helicopter
Since oil is pretty much a dying source of fuel we've been set back even further
I think that could be overcome in the not too distant future if they make progress with flywheels energy storage technology

[Anonymous No.2562561]

>>2562545
depends how versatile the intelligence will be

[Anonymous No.2562571]

>>2562546
What got you? Pictures for Sad Children making fun of the indie music scene is one of my favourite comics.

[Anonymous No.2562573]

although i mostly agree with the "flying car bullshit" crowd, i think they are missing the mark a bit

i think it is more accurate to call it "cryogenics bullshit"

it will exist, but it will not be what they claim it to be, i.e. your downloaded "mind" will be far inferior in many respects to your real mind, but it may also do some cool shit, so it will probably be far more popular than cryogenics

[Anonymous No.2562578]

>>2562571
The incredible wrongness of the statement was a start, I guess.

[Anonymous No.2562585]

>>2562571
The :V should've denoted a bit of sarcasm, but I find the savage way Campbell mocks people incredibly enjoyable.

[Anonymous No.2562609]

Yes... we do have flying cars. They're just not economically feasible.

Pic fucking related:

[Anonymous No.2562608]

>>2562509
Because we have since come to the conclusion that flying cars are indeed an ill-conceived idea. The technology to make them function exists, yes, but nobody wants a two-ton hunk of flying debris smashing into their house just because you ran out of gas. They would be EXTREMELY impractical.

[Anonymous No.2562619]

>>2562609
>Solent News & Photo Agency

Read that as Soylent. Did a double-take.

[Anonymous No.2562627]

>>2562609
Protip; You will never use this even though its way more convenient than any other form of transportation

[Anonymous No.2562630]

Once we get to a point where we can develop a computer that is designed to develop an even greater computer, then the singularity will begin.

[Anonymous No.2562631]

>>2562608
Yes. Criticism of previously-held ideas of what the future would be. I hope you understand how this relates to the myth of the Singularity

[Anonymous No.2562653]

>>2562380

And precisely how does making a 1:1 copy of your brain move your consciousness into a computer?

Realistically the only way to move your "soul" into a computer is to individually replace each and every one of your neurons with a nanobot, and even that would probably end up extinguishing any consciousnesses you have in favor of the nanobot you's consciousness, which will act the same and will never even know that it is not the original you.

[Anonymous No.2562733]

>>2562653
Neurons die and are replaced all the time. It's very possible that simply replacing the dead ones with artificial ones instead of organic ones will allow a smooth transition of the soul.

[Anonymous No.2562835]

Soul? I thought this was a science thread?

[Anonymous No.2562857]

>>2562653

bullshit on your nanobots

that supposition assumes zero quantum biophysics

nanobots will not mimic the quantum determinants of the human brain

the closest shit to really happening is to somehow do a direct transfer of one persons mind into another human mind

[Anonymous No.2562864]

All the naysayers of the Singularity have very good points. There are a lot of easy arguments against it... but. Science and technology WILL continue to progress. It may be postponed or delayed, but unless completely stopped by something like the collapse of civilization (which is less likely than it seems), it will continue. That means that it will reach a point to where it can create a code that can "bootstrap" itself, as in being capable of rewriting and improving itself. Once that single requirement is meant, we'll have true AI. Then things could go in a million different possible directions. Te majority of them, though, involves humanity's combined cognitive power being surpassed many times over. That is what is coined as the Singularity.

So TL;DR, if technology progresses unchecked, the Singularity is basically a given. If true AI is created, the Singularity will be created along with it; not cute, dumb little robots.

[Anonymous No.2562876]

>>2562864

this, this nigger understands singularity


not fucking nanobots and brain downloads tards

[Anonymous No.2562927]

>>2562857
> quantum determinants of the human brain
You really give too much credit to the effects QM has in the brain. All evidence points to such effects being minimal, and not very significant: the brain filters/generalizes information, it doesn't amplify QM noise - it's very resillient to the noisy hardware. I could go into more detail about the workings of the neocortex here, but I'll abstain for now.

I think that if we do digitize our brain, there will be /differences/ when it runs on neuromorphic hardware (a couple of orders of magnitude faster than the normal brain, also eating more power), for example a lot of biologically mediated functionality (for example, related to reward and emotional systems) would either have to be replaced or left unimplemented for a while, however such functionality won't reduce one's general intelligence.

[Anonymous No.2562939]

>>2562876
Someone else here.

I think we'll reach human-like (or better) AI before we reach advanced forms of nanotechnology or brain uploading. However, I do think that once we reach such AIs, developing those technologies will get much easier, partially due to the AIs we'll now have.

[Anonymous No.2563001]

>>2562927

It would most probably enhance their intelligence. Honestly though, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be relatively easy to simply implement the biological brain's chemical mechanisms into a digitized mind. It would be crude but functional.