The Singularity Is Coming—Now What?

Summary posted by Meridian on 11/18/2009
Source: Popular Mechanics
Author: Glenn Harlan Reynolds

In light of the fact that IBM Corporation's "Blue Gene brain simulation" project has made gains toward creating artificial intelligence, the author of this article explores the concept of "Singularity". Singularity is a time, according to its proponents, when a technological jump so big occurs, that it causes society to be transformed. Or in the words of Ray Kurzweil, technology pioneer and futurist, "[W]ithin a quarter-century, nonbiological intelligence will match the range and subtlety of human intelligence. It will then soar past it," and, "nonbiological intelligence will have access to its own design and will be able to improve itself in an increasingly rapid redesign cycle." Even before we reach the point of Singularity, researchers and futurists see breathtaking advances, many of which are due to breakthroughs in nanotechnology. Already, the article points out, "nanobots" that crawl through blood vessels attacking cancers have been developed, and it may be only decades before such tiny robots are built into just about everything, including your brain. The author analyzes the likelihood of Singularity actually occurring, and bets it will. Some organizations, such as the Foresight Institute and Singularity University, are betting it will too, and are trying to stay ahead of the curve, by publishing guidelines on developing nanotechnology and studying ways to avoid problems while still reaping benefits. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

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our team contact us site map	The Singularity Is Coming—Now What? Summary posted by Meridian on 11/18/2009 Source: Popular Mechanics Author: Glenn Harlan Reynolds In light of the fact that IBM Corporation's "Blue Gene brain simulation" project has made gains toward creating artificial intelligence, the author of this article explores the concept of "Singularity". Singularity is a time, according to its proponents, when a technological jump so big occurs, that it causes society to be transformed. Or in the words of Ray Kurzweil, technology pioneer and futurist, "[W]ithin a quarter-century, nonbiological intelligence will match the range and subtlety of human intelligence. It will then soar past it," and, "nonbiological intelligence will have access to its own design and will be able to improve itself in an increasingly rapid redesign cycle." Even before we reach the point of Singularity, researchers and futurists see breathtaking advances, many of which are due to breakthroughs in nanotechnology. Already, the article points out, "nanobots" that crawl through blood vessels attacking cancers have been developed, and it may be only decades before such tiny robots are built into just about everything, including your brain. The author analyzes the likelihood of Singularity actually occurring, and bets it will. Some organizations, such as the Foresight Institute and Singularity University, are betting it will too, and are trying to stay ahead of the curve, by publishing guidelines on developing nanotechnology and studying ways to avoid problems while still reaping benefits. The article can be viewed online at the link below. The original article may still be available at www.popularmechanics.com/technology/industry/4337160.html?nav=RSS20&... As tagged by Meridian Institute: Health And Medical: Devices, Diseases Implications: Human Enhancement, Privacy, Governance, Ethics Materials And Manufacturing: Electronics, Manufacturing Nanomaterials: Carbon Nanoparticle, Metal Nanoparticle Regions: North America Stakeholders: Government, NGO, Academia Related Forums: Health and Medical Materials and Manufacturing Governance Ethics print format	NDN Home Subscribe Manage Subscription Search News Archives Nanotechnology Quintuples Heating Capacity of Solar Water Heaters -- Renewable Energy Magazine (9/1/2010) Researchers at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil, have developed a solar heating system that uses nanotechnology to heat water to five times the temperature of a conventional system, while also permitting the collector surface area to retain up to 98 percent of heat from solar radiation. [More] Pakistan's Science Minister Attacks Funding Cuts -- SciDev.Net (9/1/2010) The Pakistan government has cuts its funds for the Pakistan Ministry of Science and Technology's 2010-2011 budget by almost half, causing the science minister, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, to criticize his own government. [More] Nanotechnology: Small wonders -- Nature (9/1/2010) This article takes an in-depth look at the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)'s first 10 years - to find out where the money went and what the initiative plans to do next. [More] Nanotech on Farmers' Fields -- Silicon Nutrition (8/31/2010) A plant nutrition study that addresses nano-sized plant nutrients is now available from the Landbouwkundige Uitgeverij G.C. van den Berg (Veenendaal, The Netherlands). [More] More News... Learn how to include these headlines on your own website by clicking here. Please email us if you require text-only versions of the daily emails.