Reply to: The Singularity

[ThomasSoerensen]

You failed.

I agree.

[Sockpuppet]

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

is the Singularity I tried to refer to.

You failed.

[ace00]

Had a quick scan of the article but not seeing mention of "self-awareness". Machines are or soon will be, as complex as the human brain, but unless they become "aware" they will still only be number-crunchers.
Of course, no-one knows what makes us self-aware or indeed the real nature of knowledge and intelligence or even how our brain works.

So I can summarize this "theory" , in one word: completo-bollox.

[ThomasSoerensen]

Something that works better, smarter and harder than us, costs very little, and is the answer to all mankinds problems....

It's here already, it's immigrants 'innit?!?

Yes, but they are leaving when you **** up your economy so much the get paid better at home, so you are stuck with yourselves.

So, no. Not immigrants.

[DimPrawn]

Something that works better, smarter and harder than us, costs very little, and is the answer to all mankinds problems....

It's here already, it's immigrants 'innit?!?

[ThomasSoerensen]

No seriously, it could be a big problem, or challenge anyway. It'll certainly be the biggest upheaval in human history.

The basic question that'll confront people whenever it occurs (twenty years, fifty, or a hundred - it will happen sooner or later) is what do you do to differentiate yourself or, bluntly speaking, earn a living when robots and AI are better than humans at practically everything?!

On the plus side, I'm sure it will eventually eliminate any incentive for countries to let their populations mushroom, probably the reverse and populations will decline.

So you don't think we will use the technology to enhance ourselves in stead of creating "3rd party AI". Then there is no competition between "us" and "them" since there is only "us".

[ace00]

In fact I;m sure some of the posts are already machine generated. Malvolio is one superb AI program.

It's one of my pet theories / possible sci-fi book plot that an AI will first show itself as a poster on internet forums. It will know everything, but have a lousy sense of humor.

[TimberWolf]

when robots and AI are better than humans at practically everything?!

What does being better than a human really mean though? Surely humans are carp at everything except being human? Can't really beat humans on that, except by making a machine more emotional and illogical than a human?

[OwlHoot]

So I can conclude that this is a new and non-controversial topic to the CUK users.

No problem.

No seriously, it could be a big problem, or challenge anyway. It'll certainly be the biggest upheaval in human history.

The basic question that'll confront people whenever it occurs (twenty years, fifty, or a hundred - it will happen sooner or later) is what do you do to differentiate yourself or, bluntly speaking, earn a living when robots and AI are better than humans at practically everything?!

On the plus side, I'm sure it will eventually eliminate any incentive for countries to let their populations mushroom, probably the reverse and populations will decline.

[Diver]

We work in IT, we know how crappy the hardware and software is. Incompetency, vapourware and hype rule. None of us are heading for the hills just yet.

I reckon it will happen in 2010

< Signed HAL 9000 >

[TheBigYinJames]

So I can conclude that this is a new and non-controversial topic to the CUK users.
No problem.
See you on the other side - if you will be there :-)

We work in IT, we know how crappy the hardware and software is. Incompetency, vapourware and hype rule. None of us are heading for the hills just yet.

[ThomasSoerensen]

So I can conclude that this is a new and non-controversial topic to the CUK users.

No problem.

See you on the other side - if you will be there :-)

[Diver]

"if machines could even slightly surpass human intellect" - depends which humans. If measured relative to intellect of posts in general I reckon machines have already outpassed.

My battery operated coffee whisk has

[NotAllThere]

Vernor Vinge, the man who came up with the name, has a fantastic name to use in dirty limericks.

Cringe, minge, hinge, binge, fringe, ginge, singe, tinge, winge

lots of potential there.

[TheBigYinJames]

"if machines could even slightly surpass human intellect" - depends which humans. If measured relative to intellect of posts in general I reckon machines have already outpassed.

In fact I;m sure some of the posts are already machine generated. Malvolio is one superb AI program.