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rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
Thu Feb 6, 2014, 06:28 PM Feb 2014

Can we discuss the Technological Singularity here (and the movie "Her")? It's philosophical.

The technological singularity, or simply the singularity, is a hypothetical moment in time when artificial intelligence will have progressed to the point of a greater-than-human intelligence, radically changing civilization, and perhaps human nature.[1] Since the capabilities of such an intelligence may be difficult for a human to comprehend, the technological singularity is often seen as an occurrence (akin to a gravitational singularity) beyond which the future course of human history is unpredictable or even unfathomable.

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

Spoiler warning if you havent seen the movie "Her".

12 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Can we discuss the Technological Singularity here (and the movie "Her")? It's philosophical. (Original Post) rhett o rick Feb 2014 OP
Yes we can. I just had a vision of a post-singularity world after reading this. CJCRANE Feb 2014 #1
That's your vision of life after the singularity? nm rhett o rick Feb 2014 #2
*SPOILER* In William Gibson's "Neuromancer" CJCRANE Feb 2014 #3
I have, in part, used "Neuromancer" to influence my image of what will happen rhett o rick Feb 2014 #4
The stage just before the singularity is also interesting... CJCRANE Feb 2014 #9
Noam Chomsky: The Singularity is Science Fiction! bananas Feb 2014 #5
Do you agree with Chomsky? nm rhett o rick Feb 2014 #6
i do tiny elvis Feb 2014 #12
It there no one that wants to discuss the singularity? nm rhett o rick Feb 2014 #7
There isn't much traffic in this forum by the looks of it. CJCRANE Feb 2014 #10
Yeah I agree. nm rhett o rick Feb 2014 #11
Kick rhett o rick Feb 2014 #8

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)
1. Yes we can. I just had a vision of a post-singularity world after reading this.
Thu Feb 6, 2014, 08:33 PM
Feb 2014

Sort of like an anthill with autonomous cars moving around all over the planet, all networked together.

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)
3. *SPOILER* In William Gibson's "Neuromancer"
Fri Feb 7, 2014, 05:04 AM
Feb 2014

the internet reeaches a critical mass of complexity and becomes self-aware, it becomes a huge intelligent entity. That is one version of the singularity.

I was probably influenced by this idea, because after reading your post, an image popped into my mind, of all the cars in the world moving around without direct human control, all networked together. This is already feasible.

In the future more and more machines and objects will join the network. When the amount of human input needed to keep everything running becomes zero...maybe that's when the singularity happens.

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
4. I have, in part, used "Neuromancer" to influence my image of what will happen
Fri Feb 7, 2014, 09:18 AM
Feb 2014

at the singularity. My friend also. We just argue about the details. Like whether the robots will keep us like pets or do away with us altogether. We both saw the movie, "Her" and were surprised at the ending. If you haven't seen it, I wont spoil it and recommend you see it. But warn that I may discuss the ending in this thread.

"Neuromancer" reminded me (or visa versa) of "Blade Runner."

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)
9. The stage just before the singularity is also interesting...
Fri Feb 7, 2014, 06:36 PM
Feb 2014

Later on I had this image of robots picking tea leaves on a tea plantation in India and I got to thinking (as I'm sure others have done before me)...

What happens when the robots can do *everything* for us? That is when they can till our fields, pick our crops, build our houses and machines, do our cleaning, cook our meals, drive our cars, deliver pizzas etc. etc.

What happens to money and profit when there are no jobs left for people to do?

No jobs means no wages means no consumers means no corporate profits...

bananas

(27,509 posts)
5. Noam Chomsky: The Singularity is Science Fiction!
Fri Feb 7, 2014, 10:42 AM
Feb 2014
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017150117

Chomsky is correct about classical computing.

However, that might not apply to biological computers or quantum computers.

Also, classical computing could create "philosophical zombie" computers.

tiny elvis

(979 posts)
12. i do
Sat Feb 15, 2014, 12:56 AM
Feb 2014

computation machines have no will
they are not self sustaining
even if our will and awareness were mechanical,
we cannot reproduce their functions
neither will our adding machines become willful by accident

do your own mechanically reducible functions, your senses and thought,
make up the whole of your self?

CJCRANE

(18,184 posts)
10. There isn't much traffic in this forum by the looks of it.
Sun Feb 9, 2014, 06:20 AM
Feb 2014

Maybe you could post it in the Skeptics Group, Movies, Science Fiction or even General Discussion.

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