Results 1 to 30 of 347
Thread: The Singularity
-
2012-11-16, 10:08 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
- Location
- Montreal
- Gender
The Singularity
Hi People, I was re-reading Questionable Content, and they mentionned the Singularity a few times, and I got thinking about it.
(For those people who don't know what the Singularity is, it's practically Rapture for Nerds. It's the point in time where we will develop an AI that can reprogram and improve itself, which then will be able to improve itself ad nauseam at infinite speed).
I was wondering it anybody here actually did any research on the topic. Is it actually possible? Could it happen in our lifetime?
-
2012-11-16, 10:14 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
Re: The Singularity
It's A singularity. A technological singularity is a point of time from which the people before that time can not imagine how societies look and behave after that point because of an invention at that time. There have been many such singularities throughout our history.
As for that specific one nah I doubt it will happen in our lifetime. Would be neat if it did though.Last edited by pffh; 2012-11-16 at 10:15 AM.
"Elephant trunks should be used for elephant things only. Nothing else."
Thank you Geomancer for the Death avatar.
My lets plays:
Alien vs Predator: marine chapter - Completed
Singularity - Canceled
-
2012-11-16, 10:21 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Switzerland
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
There's A Singularity,and there's THE Singularity. They are not quite the same. The Singularity is the point where we can improve the things that let us improve other things. Like,say, design a computer that can design a computer better than itself. Or improve our own intelligence.
In our time? Probably not. We have whta is more or less a one atom quantum computer that doesn't do much yet and neural networks and evolutionary algorithms are very, very cool, but so far, they lack a lot of the things humans can do and aren't really AI yet. And improving human intelligence is incredibly nebulous.
And even with the intelligence singularity, there's still resource limits. Just because our new intelligent supercomputer would know how to build a better, more intelligent supercomputer than itself, we would still need the time, money and power to actually realize it.Last edited by Eldan; 2012-11-16 at 10:22 AM.
Resident Vancian Apologist
-
2012-11-16, 10:49 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2009
- Location
- Germany
Re: The Singularity
Rapture for Nerds says it very well. It's basically a doomsday cult. An unimaginable entity will be created that will reach an intelligence of infinity, and it will, in it's infinite wisdom, make us all immortal and also infinitely intelligent, and there won't be any material needs anymore and thr entire world, even existance itself, will be different from anything we could ever imagine.
And it's going to happen in our lifetime.We are not standing on the shoulders of giants, but on very tall tower of other dwarves.
Spriggan's Den Heroic Fantasy Roleplaying
-
2012-11-16, 11:08 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Switzerland
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
Hey, now. We Moderate Singularists don't like being called Doomsday cult. There won't be any doom
Resident Vancian Apologist
-
2012-11-16, 11:13 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2012
Re: The Singularity
My living to see a singularity is not impossible. Then again I'm a millenial or whatever, so that's something like 70-80 years. I don't even know if we'll recognize a singularity as a singularity if it does come, it might be a process of change that we undergo that's so subtle that the average person doesn't even consider it. I doubt it will be "Hark! The Machine God Commeth!" at any rate.
The problem with anticipating the rate in which humans innovate is you're going to be wrong one way or another. You might as well guess what the weather will be like 10 summers from now. You've got something of an idea (i.e. hot), but the factors involved are too numerous to make it a worthwhile exercise.
-
2012-11-16, 11:25 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
Re: The Singularity
"Elephant trunks should be used for elephant things only. Nothing else."
Thank you Geomancer for the Death avatar.
My lets plays:
Alien vs Predator: marine chapter - Completed
Singularity - Canceled
-
2012-11-16, 11:28 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Central Kentucky
- Gender
-
2012-11-16, 11:39 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2009
"Elephant trunks should be used for elephant things only. Nothing else."
Thank you Geomancer for the Death avatar.
My lets plays:
Alien vs Predator: marine chapter - Completed
Singularity - Canceled
-
2012-11-16, 11:45 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
- Location
- Tail of the Bellcurve
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
I've never really liked this idea. Humans are bad enough for everything else on the planet. Last thing we or anything else needs is a super-machine to be horrible to us and every other living thing on earth.
Blood-red were his spurs i' the golden noon; wine-red was his velvet coat,
When they shot him down on the highway,
Down like a dog on the highway,And he lay in his blood on the highway, with the bunch of lace at his throat.
Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman, 1906.
-
2012-11-16, 11:55 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Switzerland
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
Why should it be horrible to us? Surely you don't believe in the Termiatorians and their propaganda.
Last edited by Eldan; 2012-11-16 at 11:55 AM.
Resident Vancian Apologist
-
2012-11-16, 11:57 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
- Location
- Montreal
- Gender
-
2012-11-16, 12:21 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Central Kentucky
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
You do know that there are lots of people trying to figure out the various pitfalls in all of the plausible scenarios that lead to the Singularity, and trying to identify an ethical path to Friendly AI and the creation of intelligences and various 'safe' options that aren't existential threats...
-
2012-11-16, 12:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2012
Re: The Singularity
Not giving it the launch codes to the nukes seems a good start.
I'm more worried that any true AI will be owned in perpetuity by its creators. Similarly to how GMOs are IP for companies, and whether that will extend to any created sentient life I've no idea. That the legal and cultural definition of a person has been slow to incorporate Others is fairly well established throughout our history.Last edited by Kitten Champion; 2012-11-16 at 12:35 PM.
-
2012-11-16, 12:38 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
-
2012-11-16, 12:38 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Central Kentucky
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
-
2012-11-16, 12:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
- Location
- Montreal
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
-
2012-11-16, 12:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2007
- Location
- Switzerland
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
Ask Craig Venter. I think he does own a genetic monstrosity made from scratch.
Resident Vancian Apologist
-
2012-11-16, 01:20 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Central Kentucky
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
One particular place where people are trying to define the scope of the AI stuff, and do research and figure out the pitfalls, but they are working towards a particular Singularity...
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Singularity
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Intelligence_explosion
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Frien...l_intelligence
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Unfri...l_intelligence
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Artif...l_intelligence
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Existential_risk
http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Creating_Friendly_AI
-
2012-11-16, 01:32 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
-
2012-11-16, 01:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2008
Re: The Singularity
Personally, I think that abstract thought is going to be a "carrying capacity" for AI, but I could be wrong.
-
2012-11-16, 01:38 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2005
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
Terminators? No. How about corporations? A company would gain no benefit from it's magic computer helping it's competetors, and with shareholder greed masquerading as "rights" such a computer will be vital in out preforming it's competetors to the point they shut down.
So the basics of corporate competition requires that the system be inherently horrible to someone.
-
2012-11-16, 01:42 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Central Kentucky
- Gender
-
2012-11-16, 01:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
-
2012-11-16, 01:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Central Kentucky
- Gender
-
2012-11-16, 01:52 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
-
2012-11-16, 01:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2007
- Location
- Central Kentucky
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
Well there isn't an easy way. That's why this is such a hard problem, that takes a lot of deep discussion and understanding and thorough undertaking, to figure out the best possible way and the various desired end goal situations.
-
2012-11-16, 02:02 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
Re: The Singularity
Can I have a robotic Lena Olin?
-
2012-11-16, 02:10 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2010
- Gender
Re: The Singularity
Unfortunately on forums that don’t normally deal with futurology and Artificial Intelligence; arguments against the Singularity go “it’s scary and bizarre, I don’t like it, and therefore it won’t happen,” and those for it will say basically “it’s cool, I want it to happen, and therefore it will happen.” I recommend going to sites that do deal with this topic more exclusively to get better well thought out information, but if really just want random playgrounders opinions. The Singularity will most probably happen in the end of the 21st century, the rate computer science is progressing and backwards engineering of the human brain means we will be able to create and artificial mind of human level. By virtue of this mind being artificial, with functions inherently “superior” to an organic one (being able to think at the speed of light for one and a Eidetic memory), unless you believe human level intelligence is the limit of possible intelligence (which is extremely doubtful) this new mind can improve itself.
-
2012-11-16, 02:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2008
Re: The Singularity
Because she's clearly not human. Seriously, she doesn't look a day over 40.