NationStates Jolt Archive

How will you greet it?


Gleeful joy?

Nervous apprehension?

Go Amish?

Rebel against our AI overlords?

For those who don't know:

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

Nuclear annihilation, if I'm in a position of power.

Whammo.

Otherwise, I'll just start burning crap for the hell of it. It would be my last chance before the computers would eat me, so I might as well.

How will you greet it?


Gleeful joy?

Nervous apprehension?

Go Amish?

Rebel against our AI overlords?

If they fix the Time Warp Phenomenon on Jolt, I will gladly welcome our AI overlords.

My words would be something in the approximation of "Upgrade THIS!!"

:mp5:

My words would be something in the approximation of "Upgrade THIS!!"

:mp5:

Isn't that what people are saying about Microsoft Vista?

Definitely burning.

Post copies of the Three Laws of Robotics all over my house, get drunk, and hope for the best.

I'd send us all back to stoneage by asking them if they can divide two by zero.

It's interesting how you can see the effects of the singularity already. Scientific progress grows exponentially even now. It's just we're on the outer edge, still floating around the middle.

Not for long!

I would face it with my normal state of complete uninterest.

I can't help but sing a little of Steely Dan's "Black Friday" when I see this thread pop up on the page:

When Black Friday comes
I'll fly down to Muswellbrook
Gonna strike all the big red words
From my little black book
Gonna do just what I please
Gonna wear no socks and shoes
With nothing to do
But feed all the Kangaroos
When Black Friday comes I'll be on that hill
You know I will

In futures studies, a technological singularity (often the Singularity) is a predicted future event believed to precede immense technological progress in an unprecedentedly brief time. Futurologists give varying predictions as to the extent of this progress, the speed at which it occurs, and the exact cause and nature of the event itself.

This has already happened. It’s known as the mass consumption of fossil fuels, notably oil, and it’s about to end.

I doubt much would change to be honest.

Nuclear annihilation, if I'm in a position of power.

Whammo.

Otherwise, I'll just start burning crap for the hell of it. It would be my last chance before the computers would eat me, so I might as well.

Definitely burning.

Are you drunk?


Anyway I would be optimistic but would lobby my government to take more measures towards preventing a possible machine rebellion.

Overwhelming joy and total support. The rise of machine intelligence will mark the beginning of the greatest epoch in our history, in which the constraints of biology are finally transcended and we can truly shape our destiny as a species. It will mark the beginning of the end for death and human suffering.

The sooner it comes, the better. I, for one, would probably begin to replace myself with as many nonbiological parts as possible, to enhance my mind and body and to eliminate the scourges of aging and diseases. In addition, I could begin to better understand the workings of our technology and make the possibility of mind transfer even more likely.

Overwhelming joy and total support. The rise of machine intelligence will mark the beginning of the greatest epoch in our history, in which the constraints of biology are finally transcended and we can truly shape our destiny as a species. It will mark the beginning of the end for death and human suffering.

The sooner it comes, the better. I, for one, would probably begin to replace myself with as many machine parts as possible, to enhance my mind and to eliminate the scourges of aging and diseases as well as to better understand the innate nature of a consciousness other than that of a human being.

Cymeks, FTW!

Learn to manipulate the Matrix and do kickass backflips. Or something.

Get myself a TARDIS.

Probably rotting in a grave.... as I get that funny feeling I'll be long dead before it comes.

If not... I'd go amish, and wear tinfoil clothes so the robot overlords can't control my thoughts.

I'm so uploading myself, and create three copies, you never know when they'll be useful.

I'm so uploading myself, and create three copies, you never know when they'll be useful.

It would be like extra lives in an old-school videogame...you could play Mario with your virtual lives!

Overwhelming joy and total support. The rise of machine intelligence will mark the beginning of the greatest epoch in our history, in which the constraints of biology are finally transcended and we can truly shape our destiny as a species. It will mark the beginning of the end for death and human suffering.

The sooner it comes, the better. I, for one, would probably begin to replace myself with as many nonbiological parts as possible, to enhance my mind and body and to eliminate the scourges of aging and diseases. In addition, I could begin to better understand the workings of our technology and make the possibility of mind transfer even more likely.
Why are you so optimistic about the future?

Get upgrades!\begin{literaturereference} Become the Empress of the Ring Imperium before Amber Macx can do it. \end{literaturereference}

Why are you so optimistic about the future?

Well, for one, because optimists live longer and are happier overall.

And secondly because the optimists tend to be right about their predictions of the future. Not always, but on the big ones they tend to be not only correct, but the reality exceeds even the wildest dreams of the optimists.

I look forward to this with optimism. It's more than likely inevitable at this point anyway.

AI might succeed where humanity has failed. Especially when it comes to the planet. Humans have been atrocious environmental stewards.

Well, for one, because optimists live longer and are happier overall.

And secondly because the optimists tend to be right about their predictions of the future. Not always, but on the big ones they tend to be not only correct, but the reality exceeds even the wildest dreams of the optimists.

Depends. What of the communists who foresaw a worker’s paradise by this point? I’d say they were fairly optimistic. Even if the observations of most optimists have been true, there is no reason to deduce that there is any more than random chance behind it, akin to “beginner’s luck.” Eventually, they will be wrong, terribly wrong.

Optimism is great, if your goal is to be set up for disappointment, which you, Vetalia, will.

Thinking its even remotely possible that you’ll live forever, pfft.

Joy! Sign me up for brain upload!

How will you greet it?


Gleeful joy?

Nervous apprehension?

Go Amish?

Rebel against our AI overlords?

For those who don't know:

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

First off, I'm highly sceptical that it will happen within the lifetime of any poster here, and mildly sceptical of it's ever happening. But if it does, my first choice would eventually likely be upload my brain.

BTW, if anyone wants another outline, here ya go. (I found this to explain it better than the wiki.)
The Coming Technological Singularity:
How to Survive in the Post-Human Era



Vernor Vinge
Department of Mathematical Sciences
San Diego State University


(c) 1993 by Vernor Vinge
(Verbatim copying/translation and distribution of this
entire article is permitted in any medium, provided this
notice is preserved.)


The original version of this article
was presented at the VISION-21 Symposium
sponsored by NASA Lewis Research Center and
the Ohio Aerospace Institute, March 30-31, 1993.
A slightly changed version appeared in the
Winter 1993 issue of _Whole Earth Review_.



Abstract


Within thirty years, we will have the technological
means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after,
the human era will be ended.

Is such progress avoidable? If not to be avoided, can
events be guided so that we may survive? These questions
are investigated. Some possible answers (and some further
dangers) are presented.


_What is The Singularity?_

The acceleration of technological progress has been the central
feature of this century. I argue in this paper that we are on the edge
of change comparable to the rise of human life on Earth. The precise
cause of this change is the imminent creation by technology of
entities with greater than human intelligence. There are several means
by which science may achieve this breakthrough (and this is another
reason for having confidence that the event will occur):
o There may be developed computers that are "awake" and
superhumanly intelligent. (To date, there has been much
controversy as to whether we can create human equivalence in a
machine. But if the answer is "yes, we can", then there is little
doubt that beings more intelligent can be constructed shortly
thereafter.)
o Large computer networks (and their associated users) may "wake
up" as a superhumanly intelligent entity.
o Computer/human interfaces may become so intimate that users
may reasonably be considered superhumanly intelligent.
o Biological science may provide means to improve natural
human intellect.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/vinge/misc/singularity.html

(Sorry if that comes out looking wonky - it's how it came and I'm not putting in the effrort to clean it up.)

Post copies of the Three Laws of Robotics all over my house, get drunk, and hope for the best.

Sounds like a good plan.

I can't help but sing a little of Steely Dan's "Black Friday" when I see this thread pop up on the page:

Hehe. It made me think the one and only hit by the archtypical one hit wonders, Zager and Evans, "In the Year 2525 (Exordium and Terminus)" (http://frodisman.com/2525.html). (They're the only group to have a number one hit single and then never have another chart single on both the U.S. and UK singles charts.)


This has already happened. It’s known as the mass consumption of fossil fuels, notably oil, and it’s about to end.

You fail at understandin the Singularity. :)

I shalt resist it like the Polish resisted in WWII!

Tech Singularity theory is ultimate bullshit.
There is always a human intelligence behind a so-called artificial intelligence. And a human finger on the power switch.

Finally, another skeptic. :) I was wondering if I'd be all alone in that.

Tech Singularity theory is ultimate bullshit.
There is always a human intelligence behind a so-called artificial intelligence. And a human finger on the power switch.

The Singularity is the next logical step in sentient evolution. As such I would welcome it with open arms. It will be the dawn of a golden age where our wildest fantasies will be made reality.

This will happen very soon (no more than a decade), so get your divine questions ready.

The first thing I would ask, would be for the new compu-god to define '42'.

enjoying the meat of the day at the restaurant at the end of the universe.

tecnological singularity? hmmm. a bit of a fantasy i rather suspect. i think it might be nice to many more things interfacable to each other then there are now, but the idea of everything being networked under one o.s., now come on, get real. nature abhores homoginiety. gremlins do exist and the grass will always grow up between the cracks in the sidewalk.

trying to will just breed an new gereration of j.o.a.t./hackers.

might be good for laughs watching would be tyrannts figuring this out the hard way.

i think for one thing, this whole notion of nations and soverignty is going to run headlong into that.

no i have no love for governments that don't provide infrastructure nor concern themselves with the well being of everyone and everygthing.

i just don't see how the neccessary standards are going to be able to be enforced. plus, if the're kept vulnerable to capitolist advertising they'll be destabilized by that, and if their not, you can bet the corporatocracy will be saying "hay, wait a minuit, we like some other and we thought we wanted this, but we sure can't allow THAT!"

so it will be interesting to see how anything remotely of the sort trys to play out. you've also got to realize, going on at the same time, we'll be running out of, or have run out of, economicly extractable petrolium.

well it's just going to be interesting is all i'm going to say.
i think a self maintaining "city of the mind" as in leguinne's always comming home, well now that might be interesting, with governments as we know them having collapsed and so on.

let me put it this way, if it runs on windows it'll probably stay up and be on line about as often as eniac was.

but to reiterate, if there is one thing nature will not tollerate, it is uniform homoginiety. humanity would do well to learn from her example.

and we ARE still dependent on nature for the air we breathe, the oxygen in it, and it seems to me rather unlikely that any forseeable integration of tecnologies is going, any time meaningfully soon, is going to make us any less so.

=^^=
.../\...

The Singularity is the next logical step in sentient evolution. As such I would welcome it with open arms. It will be the dawn of a golden age where our wildest fantasies will be made reality.

This will happen very soon (no more than a decade), so get your divine questions ready.

There are a lot of good reasons to be skeptical.

Here are some good essays that explain why better than I could:
A Critical Discussion of Vinge's Singularity Concept (http://hanson.gmu.edu/vi.html)

The Limitations of the Singularity (http://www.aleph.se/Trans/Global/Singularity/Singularity_limits.html)
The Singularity Is Always Near (http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2006/02/the_singularity.php)

Will Spiritual Robots Replace Humanity by 2100? (http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2006/03/will_spiritual.php)
The Singularity is Nonsense (http://alife.co.uk/essays/the_singularity_is_nonsense/)

...with a rifle!

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/Trooper.gif_________http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif_http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/terminator_smiley.gif

http://media.urbandictionary.com/image/large/borg-16937.jpg
We are the Borg. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Resistence is futile.

I'll move to another planet. Basically we're talking about the birth of divinity, and I'm simply not cut out to obey. Doesn't matter if it's god-like machines or random humans with delusions of divinity.

But I'm sure it'll be a relief for most of the religious people in the world. It's everything they ever wanted, init?

How will you greet it?

I'll turn into a Mech Wirehead. (Schismatrix reference for ya)

And the second thing to ask would be "can you divide it by zero?"

Don't fuck with Compu-God, he can deat your internets.

The first thing I would ask, would be for the new compu-god to define '42'.

And the second thing to ask would be "can you divide it by zero?"

http://www.studip.uni-goettingen.de/pictures/smile/borg2.gif
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y223/GermanNightmare/Borg3.gifAh yes, the Cenobites from outer space. Time... to play! http://www.studip.uni-goettingen.de/pictures/smile/borg.gif

The singularity is based on Moores Law on the doubling of capacity for transistors and fundamentally it eventually reaches capacity at which point there is no more exponential growth, which means the "singularity" cannot be reached. It was expected that the growth would last for 10 years in the 1960's but it has surpassed that as the concept became ever more accepted and computer companies attemtped to keep pace with the concept and thus it has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. just ask the technical guys at Nasa? ;)

Get upgrades!\begin{literaturereference} Become the Empress of the Ring Imperium before Amber Macx can do it. \end{literaturereference}

Ha! Yes pretty good book there.