Ray Kurzweil - Futurist

[Recorded July 13 2009] Ray Kurzweil is a 21st century polymath. He is a scientist, inventor, entrepreneur, author, visionary and futurist. As a scientist and inventor he has pioneered work in optical character recognition (OCR), speech recognition technology, and electronic keyboard instruments. As an entrepreneur, Kurzweil has founded businesses in the fields of OCR, music synthesis, speech recognition, reading technology, virtual reality and financial investment. He is the author of numerous books on health, artificial intelligence (AI), the technological singularity and futurism. The Kurzweilian version of the future is the inevitable merger of humans and intelligent machines.

In this discussion with Computer History Museum Senior Curator Dag Spicer, Kurzweil shares his vision of how technology will re-shape the human body (and culture generally) into one that incorporates advanced technologies into a new type of post-human organism. Kurzweil sees this transformation occurring over the next 20 to 50 years and beginning with the integration of electronic-based systems into the human body. Some decades after that, a further transformation occurs--one based on nanotechnology—which incorporates the manipulation and construction of interfaces and complex systems based on atomic-level structures that merge with and control specific bodily functions and attack its problems (i.e. cancer). Some of the philosophical implications of Kurzweils vision are also discussed.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[kungnasty]

I would give my left nut to get stoned with this remarkable motherfucker.

[SIMKINETICS]

I'm an engineer & scientist. My son is getting a PhD in computer engineering. A major dispute between us is about how many fundamental inventions are being initiated. Years ago, I told him that the rate of invention is growing because every innovation fosters many new ideas. I have to point out PC's, DNA analysis, space travel, GMO's, pharmaceuticals, internet, etc.; all things enveloping inventions made in my lifetime. He states that all fundamental inventions are done. BS!

[dnelms2]

rofl!

[SIMKINETICS]

Yeah, it's a great field of discipline with a dynamic future. It involves all computational means of controlling devices & processes, the key to intense automation in many realms. Is it too late for you to study that?

[V1RUL]

I wish I invested my knowledge in computer engineering

[sparkybluefox]

Wow! I'm an old fox and and I'm considering how this guy is considering life in the near future. He may be very right!

SBF

[DRUNKENRAMBLE]

They made a wire 3 atoms wide 2 years ago... So RK's estimates are very conservative !!! 

[DRUNKENRAMBLE]

Tell ur son that the Human ear can only hear 12 musical notes, and then tell him to go on iTunes !!!

[salasvalor01]

You sound younger than your son.