Tim Tyler: Against the singularity

My take on the "singularity" terminology.

Transcript: http://alife.co.uk/essays/against_the_singularity/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• technological
• singularity
• nonsense

[TheAngryCanary]

why do so many share the terrible assumption that machines are better than organic systems? It doesn't matter how intelligent machines are. They will still have bugs, viruses, and weaknesses, like organic systems. And the more intelligent, the more psychological flaws they will possess. If they do evolove unchecked, they will compete for resources with one another and every other living system. I say living, because anything that moves to sustain its shape is alive.

[tmtyler]

@TheAngryCanary Machines are organic too, or will be. Carbon chemistry is more flexible. There are good reasons for thinking engineering and intelligent design will work quite a bit better than random mutations did.

[stephenbmassey]

The "Singularity" term came out of the whole Californian extropian/transhumanist milieu. Those guys love inventing silly terminology, giving themselves silly names, etc. I admit it sets my teeth on edge, but some of them are intelligent enough that it is worth paying attention to them regardless.

[PsychoJosh]

Watching this video makes me think that you are a robot.

[thedudeBL]

If we invent a computer that can out think and think faster than humans, it will follow a logical process, self preservation (either it will remove humans ability to shut it down preemptively or it will respond to an attempt by humans), then it will reproduce a means to eliminate said threat. Humans that believe other wise are just vain and foolish.

[thedudeBL]

You're arguing semantics and missing the point.

[thedudeBL]

John Lennon LIVES!!!



[mantrap9]

Tomato, Tomahto.

[ekpil2000]

You're right singularity isn't the right word.

Not a big fan of revolution and it's cyclical connotation.

That said the shift from human minds to designed minds seems likely to be a significant change.

Epoch may even be merited by future historians.

I hope this causes the unexpected.

I wonder about super intelligence's fate. If it will meet a boundary as yet not conceived and stop advancing, over come all boundaries we yet conceive (sometimes called apotheosis) , advance steadily, or what?

[fritofreak1]

infinitely fast. As an afterthought I would like to say I really enjoyed this video and am anxious to hear your rebuttal to my idea.

[fritofreak1]

may find a way to work around them. For instance it has been seen that previously known fact has later with time been found to not always been true. An instance that most people should be aware of is the matter of Non-Newtonian Fluids. These fluids defy the very way Newton declared a fluid should be acting under the laws of physics. That is why I believe another such flaw will be once again found upon the approach o the Singularity and as a result an understanding that progress may become

[fritofreak1]

You mention at one point that progress will never become infinitely fast and one example of a reason that you mentioned would prevent it is physical limits. However when a point near the Singularity is reached it is hypothesized that progress and resulting intelligence will be much higher. The point I make with this is that the physical limitations you speak of may not be an issue as we may progress to a point with a much better understanding of matter and the laws of physics, so much so that we