The Singularity Is Coming. . !
Tony Thorne MBE's new 'fact against fiction' book is about THE SINGULARITY, and the resulting Artificial Intelligence Explosion. So what is a singularity? It's easiest described as a one way event, something which once it occurs cannot be reversed. So what kind of singularity phenomenon is explored in this book?Many scientists claim it poses a far greater threat to humanity than global warming, and it may be no more than ten years away..!This singularity, the creation of machines that are far cleverer than we are, and the runaway consequences that will follow, will change our way of life... completely. They will follow on from the Artificial Intelligence devices we already have today. More incredible developments will emerge after them, and then after that, and so on... until it happens.
The Singularity is Coming
Artificial (General) Intelligent robots will be cleverer than us, able to do anything we can do, better, and faster, for twenty four hours a day, with no time off demanded either, except perhaps for an occasional self-service. Most of the jobs only humans could do before will be gone, and this situation will soon seriously begin to happen, well before the end of the next decade. What will that do to government unemployment figures? Some experts believe 80% is possible. Fully automated companies, with minimal labour costs, will probably do well financially, at first, but how will unemployed people buy their products? Some alternative, a guaranteed permanent Basic Allowance for example, will have to be introduced well before we reach that state of unemployment... or will we still need money by then?Later when ASI, Artificial Super Intelligence, arrives some experts even fear humanity may be facing extinction. The consequences, of this Singularity, this unprecedented hard to appreciate situation, are going to be devastating, even if the relevant authorities start planning for it immediately... and that is unlikely, knowing them the way we do. Will the subject even be mentioned in the next government's manifesto?This updated edition, for general readers of all ages, explains what experts believe will happen in only a few years from now. They do not all agree with each other. Their predictions range from A New Golden Age for us all, through Uncertainty, to Total Disaster. Readers must decide for themselves who will be proved correct.
Singularity Hypotheses
Singularity Hypotheses: A Scientific and Philosophical Assessment offers authoritative, jargon-free essays and critical commentaries on accelerating technological progress and the notion of technological singularity. It focuses on conjectures about the intelligence explosion, transhumanism, and whole brain emulation. Recent years have seen a plethora of forecasts about the profound, disruptive impact that is likely to result from further progress in these areas. Many commentators however doubt the scientific rigor of these forecasts, rejecting them as speculative and unfounded. We therefore invited prominent computer scientists, physicists, philosophers, biologists, economists and other thinkers to assess the singularity hypotheses. Their contributions go beyond speculation, providing deep insights into the main issues and a balanced picture of the debate.
The Singularity
This volume represents the combination of two special issues of the Journal of Consciousness Studies on the topic of the technological singularity. Could artificial intelligence really out-think us, and what would be the likely repercussions if it could? Leading authors contribute to the debate, which takes the form of a target chapter by philosopher David Chalmers, plus commentaries from the likes of Daniel Dennett, Nick Bostrom, Ray Kurzweil, Ben Goertzel, Frank Tipler, among many others. Chalmers then responds to the commentators to round off the discussion.
The Technological Singularity
This volume contains a selection of authoritative essays exploring the central questions raised by the conjectured technological singularity. In informed yet jargon-free contributions written by active research scientists, philosophers and sociologists, it goes beyond philosophical discussion to provide a detailed account of the risks that the singularity poses to human society and, perhaps most usefully, the possible actions that society and technologists can take to manage the journey to any singularity in a way that ensures a positive rather than a negative impact on society. The discussions provide perspectives that cover technological, political and business issues. The aim is to bring clarity and rigor to the debate in a way that will inform and stimulate both experts and interested general readers.
