"Behold! The future is upon us!"
One of the best definitions for the singularity comes from the Nanotechnology Glossary. It reads as follows:
The Singularity is the hypothetical future creation of super intelligent machines. Super intelligence is defined as a technologically-created cognitive capacity far beyond that possible for humans. Should the Singularity occur, technology will advance beyond our ability to foresee or control its outcomes and the world will be transformed beyond recognition by the application of super intelligence to humans and/or human problems, including poverty, disease and mortality.
To some, what is stated above sounds more like a script from one of the Star Trek episodes than reality. To those in certain segments of the technology industry, it does not sound odd at all. In fact, if we look hard enough, we can already see parts of the approaching singularity coming to fruition.
For example, in a recent Time magazine article, Lev Grossman explains the prospective exponential gains in capacity enabled by super intelligent machines:
Their rate of development would also continue to increase, because they would take over their own development from their slower-thinking human creators. Imagine a computer scientist that was itself a super-intelligent computer. It would work incredibly quickly. It could draw on huge amounts of data effortlessly. It wouldn't even take breaks to play Farmville.
Another article I was reading on the internet talked about the advances in not only nanotechnology, but also genetics and robotics driving this dash to the singularity. Take for example just 3D Printing. 3D and as well as the emerging 4D Printing technologies are only in their infancy and already futurists are predicting what a game changer they will be. In the near future we will have smart machines loading the information into the printers which will make our products. Humans need not be involved, except to use the products created.
What about genetics? What role will they play? While most of us have heard about the Human Genome Project which started obtaining funding under the Reagan Administration, not much is known today. To date, this international effort to map and understand our highly complex DNA structure has hit somewhat of a roadblock. We understand 92% of the DNA puzzle. However, with the advances of super computer technology, understanding the remaining 8% can't be far behind.
Many experts feel all it going to take is a bit more "juice" in our computing. And that is coming. The following was taken from the SigularityHub.com in November 2012:
Control Data Corporation's first supercomputer, the CDC 6600, operated at a speed of three megaflops. A half century later, the most powerful supercomputers are a billion times faster. But even that impressive mark will inevitably fall. Engineers are eyeing an exaflop (a quintillion operations a second), and some think they’ll get there by 2018.
So where are we? We are right at the door step. We are at the nexus where science fiction and science will meet. Will these be exciting times which will change everything for the better? Or will we be creating a negative utopia such as what happened in the Terminator series with Skynet. In any event, 2014 is now here and technology will continue to march on. The singularity is coming - are we ready for it?
What about genetics? What role will they play? While most of us have heard about the Human Genome Project which started obtaining funding under the Reagan Administration, not much is known today. To date, this international effort to map and understand our highly complex DNA structure has hit somewhat of a roadblock. We understand 92% of the DNA puzzle. However, with the advances of super computer technology, understanding the remaining 8% can't be far behind.
Many experts feel all it going to take is a bit more "juice" in our computing. And that is coming. The following was taken from the SigularityHub.com in November 2012:
Control Data Corporation's first supercomputer, the CDC 6600, operated at a speed of three megaflops. A half century later, the most powerful supercomputers are a billion times faster. But even that impressive mark will inevitably fall. Engineers are eyeing an exaflop (a quintillion operations a second), and some think they’ll get there by 2018.
So where are we? We are right at the door step. We are at the nexus where science fiction and science will meet. Will these be exciting times which will change everything for the better? Or will we be creating a negative utopia such as what happened in the Terminator series with Skynet. In any event, 2014 is now here and technology will continue to march on. The singularity is coming - are we ready for it?
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