Singularity?

Question

Do you believe in the concept of singularity? Could this ever happen? Could computers become self aware? Could (in theory) computers not only control the entire population of planet earth, but actually decide we are no longer necessarry and decide we need to go away? With ever increasing speeds of the doubling of computer tech and power many in science believe this could happen a lot sooner than we think. Whats your honest take on this subject? No B.S. guys.

Answer 1

When you first think about it sounds like something out a scifi book.  But after a little thinking you realize that people being lazy by nature will invent the technology some time.  I don't think we are there yet, but close.  The machines can become smart enough, just a different kind of intelligence.  Even now they are making smart machines. With ever increasing CPU speeds they won't have to think like we do, most likely a set of programs running parallel in a quad or even octal based CPU.  Right not the Ram needed would be massive but that will come down to a reasonable size.  If you think about how fast we went from the XT 8600 to the Core Duo processor there is a good chance we will see the technology in our life time.  Just because they can do it doesn't mean they should.

Answer 2

I believe it's more probable that, as we progressively begin to implant ourselves with cybernetic technology, that the lines between man, machine and cyborg will become blurred. A cyborg would have considerable advantages over both man and machine, but I think there might be a great deal of fear and mistrust between cyborgs and unaltered humans eventually.

Answer 3

With my luck..I'd probably fall in love with one of them.

OK nuff...who's gonna take care of them when they get "sick"?? They need us!!!

Edit..HEY...This might be the way to find a PERFECT MAN!!

Answer 4

Perhaps it's an old-fashioned mindset, but I still see computers as being able to do only what we program them to do.  I have been surprised before, so it wouldn't shock me if a computer were developed that had the appearance of intelligence and personality.  However, I can't seem to get past the problem of how an electronic device could be taught to synthesize ideas.

Answer 5

Yes

singularity is a fairly common

  fundamental math concept

some are clearly evident in our present day social order

  and often involve some sort of second order feedback

for example pretend some small group of

  severely retarded men get alot of guns

pretty soon they discover that

  they can use these guns

   to get more money

    by sneaking up behind people

     and saying   "you owe me money"

      for any of a very wide variety

       number of artificial reasons

so then they get more money

  they tell other retarded men

   who get guns and get more money

    those tell other retarded men

     who get more money and more guns

      moremoney for more guns

       on and on it goes until

    the entire continent is in

     a severe depression

      from lack of money

the large number of morons with guns

  has dramatic effects on all aspects of society

   including imprisonment and demands of mormoney

    from all the leading home run hitters of our day

     from the fastest lady runner ever with lots of gold

      that the morons stole from her

   lots of beautiful young starlets have also

    been getting captured from behind by morons

     who hide underneath the red white and blue

      and been having to give away more money to morons

  the morons cannot be stopped

   they do not understand our language

    they come from canada and east germany

     they have the primitive instinctive need

      for mormoney for more guns for mormoney work

       and they believe they have been chosen by god

        to make up invasive hostile antihuman rules

         to apply to our society

          to get mormoney

           for more guns

the country shall shortly be renamed to be

                 mormoneyville

   where the government are all

    retarded men with guns

     and the countrys one word name above

      has a top secret two word decomposition

       into two two syllable words

        for timely and helpful explanation

        of many of the problems that

         americans face today

if enough cryptographic supercomputers

  are applied to the single code word above

   the consequent two word decomposition

    into two adjacent two syllable words

     of the single given new word that

      is going to be the new name of america

   then the best and brightest intelligences in our nation

    will have some idea of what we are faced with

somewhat facetiously yours

   daniel

Answer 6

they will never be able to think.

Answer 7

With how our society is so dependent on technology, and that we step aside and let computers do most of our thinking for us, yeah, I'd say yes.