IEEE Special Report On the Singularity

jbcarr83 writes "The IEEE Spectrum is running a special issue on the technological singularity as envisioned by Vernor Vinge and others. Articles on both sides of the will it/won't it divide appear, though most take the it will approach. I found Richard A.L. Jones' contribution, 'Rupturing The Nanotech Rapture,' to be of particular interest. He puts forward some very sound objections to nanomachines of the Drexler variety."

Comments

I for one welcome our

[BPPG]

aw, I just can't do it.

Re:I for one welcome our

[spun]

I for one welcome our apathetic first posting overlords, and remind them that as a trusted slashdot personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground overlord welcoming centers.

Re:I for one welcome our

[JebusIsLord]

Just think, when The Time comes, AIs will compete over first posts within picoseconds of eachother. New memes will be invented, spread and forgotten in milliseconds, and dupes will (hopefully) finally be a thing of the past.

Re:I for one welcome our

[Surt]

Nahhh ... they'll be duping so fast the dupes will eventually achieve sentience and reproductive ability of their own, and live forever. Eventually, the entire universe will be filled with nothing but dupes.

Re:I for one welcome our

[JebusIsLord]

I don't think it is poorly reasoned, but it does definitely have a religious feel to it - in a good way! It gives us God-is-dead scientific-types something to strive for (enlightenment, immortality) with an actual basis in fact.

If you assume that:

* Technology will continue to improve exponentially (it is right now - see Moore's law)
* The brain is a fully deterministic computer.

Then it is a fair assumption that we will eventually design a superbrain. The superbrain will design a super-duper brain, and the chain reaction (singularity) will be upon us. I can't wait!

Re:I for one welcome our

[somersault]

Somewhere in the article(s) it mentions that exponential increases in intelligence would probably equate to exponential increases in resources. We'll soon be needing more coffee than the arable land of the world can produce just to wake our smart-phones up in the morning!

Re:I for one welcome our

[somersault]

Those who believe otherwise just want to belive that the soul is a real thing. I just spent real money on a James Brown album, you insensitive clod!

At laaaasstt !!!

[unity100]

Now all i need to do is to harness the power of this singularity using the nanotech rupture to build my army of Vernor Vingor nanomachines !!!

Re:The what?

[bistromath007]

People who consider the singularity something to be worried about missed the point and/or watch too many movies. A technological singularity is not a world-ending scenario. It's the first step on the road to divinity.

An infinite loop? Please no!

[StefanJ]

I do not want to experience that hideous sixth grade First Thanksgiving play again.

Skip the AI part

[servognome]

On the other hand, if we develop beings with an artificial intelligence equal to the smartest scientists, they could potentially develop a second generation that would be improved.

The scientists could just get laid, have kids and accomplish the same thing :)

Re:hmmm.

[Rogerborg]

Would they want to interact with normal world? Would they prefer a virtual world?

Surely that's not even a serious question. If I could choose between hanging out with you meatsicles, or living in a perfect copy of meatspace but with a flawless copy of the flawless Alyson Hannigan oiled up and duct-taped to a water-bed, it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when and how much.

Re:The what?

[Anonymous Coward]

Return your geek card by the front door and never, ever, come back to /. again.
Singularity, on this sense, is the moment when super-intelligent machines will replace the pathetic humankind knowledge with their own exponentially-growing-to-the-infinity conscience.
It is the geek rapture, the day when we and the machines will become ONE, and we will crush and destroy the pathetic Homo Sapiens Sapiens...

you vs. primitive man

[Anonymous Coward]

However, a primitive human from 10,000 years ago could probably stomp your ass in a fair fight. Your current tech, including guns and such, aren't an intrinsic part of you....you'd totally get your ass kicked by Adam, God.

Re:hmmm.

[Anonymous Coward]

going to sleep is suicide?

Re:nothing to worry about

[Quiet_Desperation]

Computers will never be more than a 10^15 times faster than they are today. And still not able to run Crysis at full detail.

Re:hmmm.

[Bugs42]

I'm sorry, sir, but for the heinous crime of going against /. group-think and preferring Alyson Hannigan to Natalie Portman, I'm gonna have to ask you for your geek card. Turn it in along with any hot grits in your possession. What's that? You don't have any hot grits? Oh, you're gonna get it now.... execution by BPC (Ballmer Propelled Chair)

Re:The singularity already happened

[somersault]

However, musn't there be a first post-human civilization? Probably, but all you'll see on /. is first-post human civilisation