From the subtle advancements in technology to the birth of SKYNET!!!! Join us as we explore
facts about the Technological Singularity. 11. What is the Technological Singularity?
What's that? You don't know what it is? No worries, it is a pretty scientific term.
To quote Wikipedia, the Technological Singularity, "is a hypothetical future point in time at
which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unfathomable
changes to human civilization." In other words, we become a technology so
dependent on technology that there is literally no going back from it. As in, either we're
so turned into technology we can't revert, or, the technology rules us in such a way
that we truly can't do anything ourselves anymore. Meaning we're literally technology-dependent
(which sounds very familiar...). But another version of the Technological Singularity
is that computer intelligence, or even Artificial Intelligence, would grow so smart that it
would upgrade itself infinitely. Eventually creating a society where machines rule and
humans are subservient. What's more, this is NOT a new theory or idea.
And it honestly wasn't proposed by various sci-fi movies. In fact, it was proposed by
a book in 1993 via Vernor Vinge in The Coming Technological Singularity. What's more, while
this may seem like a "sci-fi future", there are many who actually believe that not only
will this come, but it could come to bear as soon as 2050. Which is only about 30 years
away at the time of this video. But could that really be true? Let me show
you some of what could come, and how some of it is already here.
10. Where Are We Now In The Technological Singularity?
To fully understand how the Technological Singularity could happen, we need to understand
where we are as a society that could lead us to the Technological Singularity future
that many fear. Let's rewind the clocks back to the earliest
days of the computer. Before the computer, humanity literally had to do everything themselves,
even in regards to operating the machines that they made to make everything easier.
When the computer was invented, it was massive. The space needed process the simplest of equations
would be many rooms. And if a supercomputer was built? It could get even bigger.
Yet, and this is the important part, as humanity grew in its understanding of computers and
intelligence, so too did the computers grow, and their systems. Eventually, it got to the
point where a phone, or even a watch could compute things in millionths of a second where
a supercomputer from the past would take minutes on end.
But the other key thing to note is that humanity is desperately trying to make their computers
and systems even better. And with this came the creation of A.I. Artificial Intelligence
is a programmed entity with some free will (to an extent of its programming), allowing
it to grow and function as needed while also having room to help and improve other functions.
While a "true" A.I has not been invented technically (though we're getting close...), it's inevitable
that it'll happen. And that's what people fear. Because should a true A.I. be made and
then grow beyond its programming, humanity would be in very big trouble.
9. Intelligence Explosion The key word here to note is "Intelligence
Explosion". No, I don't mean like our own brains exploding (that would be bad...), but
rather, an explosion of potential via Artificial Intelligence. This is one of the potential
"outcomes" of a Technological Singularity. Think of it like this. Every generation of
computer we make is technically better than the next, right? The difference between what
we do and what an Intelligence Explosion is, is that the A.I. is the one "making" the next
generation. More so, it's doing it internal and at a rate that is actually unquantifiable.
As such, the A.I could reach a level of intelligence that would allow it to go so far beyond its
programming that we couldn't even tell its upper limits.
What's scary about this is that this idea came from 1965 via I. J. Good, who theorized
that a super advanced A.I could bring about the Intelligence Explosion, and potentially
be the death of mankind: "Let an ultraintelligent machine be defined
as a machine that can far surpass all the intellectual activities of any man however
clever. Since the design of machines is one of these intellectual activities, an ultraintelligent
machine could design even better machines; there would then unquestionably be an ‘intelligence
explosion,’ and the intelligence of man would be left far behind. Thus the first ultraintelligent
machine is the last invention that man need ever make, provided that the machine is docile
enough to tell us how to keep it under control." That's a scary thought, huh? And that's actually
a reason why many are opposed to the research on super-intelligent (and always evolving)
A.I's. This included the late Stephen Hawking and current eccentric Billionaire Elon Musk.
They feel that humanity will be doomed because of A.I's. Whether it be through Intelligence
Explosions, or something of our own making. 8. Making A "Better Tomorrow"
There is another way that many dispute the Technological Singularity will come via A.I.
and that's simply by creating an A.I. ourselves that goes far beyond what we intended it to
be. Which may not be as far-fetched as you might think.
If I were to say the names Alexa, Siri, and Watson, you'd recognize them as various machines
with various intelligence, right? Well technically, they're all A.I., just with different levels
of intelligence. Siri came first and could react to certain things on your iPad or iPhone.
Then came Alexa who could control part of your house, and then there's Watson who can
be so smart that he won a game of Jeopardy against two of its biggest champions ever
while only getting one question wrong! That's smarts, and that's also the problem.
Many feel that one day a computer glitch or error or advancement in the programming determined
by the machine intelligence itself will cause it to grow far beyond the intents of the creator.
Thus creating a situation where a Technological Singularity may come.
For you Marvel Comics fans, that's what happened with Ultron. Avenger Hank Pym tried to make
a truly advancement A.I. based on his own brain patters, and unintentionally created
a robot so advanced and evil that it could take down the Avengers and potentially take
over the world (which it actually did a few times but that's another story).
Some think that we are very close to that point. Including a man named Ray Kurzweil,
who believes that we could be at the Singularity point by 2045 at the earliest.
7. The Predictions Of Ray Kurzweil Part 1 If you're not familiar with Ray Kurzweil,
you honestly should read up on him, he's not just another guy predicting the end of civilization,
he's actually an engineer at Google, and sees himself as a Futurist. One who has made predictions
in the past about technologies advances with killer accuracy.
He predicted the rise of super-advanced phones, that computers would be "so advanced" by 2019
that they would make books "almost obsolete", that we would be downloading information wirelessly
to our devices and so on and so forth. Now sure, not ALL of his predictions have
come true, but a lot have, and a lot of come close. What's more. There are signs that we
are indeed leading to his future vision of mankind, including becoming "one" with the
machines. 6. Robotics
When you think of the "future" that humanity "wants" and that various sci-fi and movies
have "predicted", the obvious things you see are robots and people with robotic appendages.
This is actually a very real future that leads us to the Technological Singularity, and we're
getting ever closer to it. Let's look at robots first. The Technological
Singularity notes that as robots get more advanced, humans will become less and less
important. All part of the "A.I. Overlord" scenarios if you will. The problem right now
is that while humanity has made robots of a sort, they are nowhere near the intelligence
level to function on their own long term. Even with the A.I. that are currently in the
works. Mainly, major functions are too hard to process,
and some of the simplest ones require delicate moves and abilities that require a lot of
hardware and software advances to ensure proper success.
That being said, we are getting closer to this happening. There are robots who can run,
walk over all terrain, detect obstacles and get over them, and much more. But we're nowhere
near the point of Terminators, meaning robots that are much smarter than us, can mimic us,
and can move like us more or less. But again, it's not an impossibility, and with a Technological
Singularity, that would be a viable future that could happen. Then again, WE could be
the robots, not unlike another robotic race with brilliant intelligence: The Borg.
5. Artificial Limbs and Cyborgs One of the biggest and most worrying things
about a person in regards to their life is the chance that they could lose a limb. The
loss of a limb is something that cannot be overcome simply. You have to adjust your entirely
life to compensate for it. However, humanity is working towards fixing that via artificial
limbs, and there are many kinds out there right now. But, like robots there are severe
limitations. Mainly, the ability to "think" your arm, or
leg or hand or foot into doing what you want isn't fully possible just yet. There's no
way at present to get the sensory information from your brain to your robotic or artificial
arm in a way that mimics your real life arms and appendages ability to do so.
Yet, humanity is working feverishly to make that happen. And if it does happen, a very
likely scenario outlined in the Technological Singularity future is having computer chips
in our brains. Thus allowing the robotic arms and limbs to work at a lightning face rate.
This would essentially start turning humanity...into Cyborgs. Not unlike the Borg. Which could
be another future of the Technological Singularity. The Borg from Star Trek are a race of humanoid
beings that are fused with super advanced technology. More importantly though, they
function as a "Hive Mind". Meaning a multitude of voices coming together and working together
to ensure that the solution required gets done. They are so powerful via this that they
can adapt to any new variable or weapon attack and render it useless within seconds.
Show this happen to us, we'd truly not be humans anymore. We'd be evolved well beyond
that, and anyone, or anything, that isn't like us would like by...assimilated. Thus
ensuring the Technological Singularity future. 4. The Predictions Of Ray Kurzweil Part 2
But again, the question becomes, "How far are we from that future?" If Ray Kurzweil
is to be believed, not as far as you think. For he believes a key part of the Technological
Singularity will come in 2029, a mere decade in the future.
Based on how he views the technology advancement period, he thinks that ten years from now
the computers on Earth will have the power and computing ability of a human brain. Which
is basically the goal for Artificial Intelligence. He notes that a "basic" computer will be 1000
times more powerful than a human brain, and that computers will actually do more computing
on Earth than the human brain because it's "easier" for them to do so.
Kurzeil also believes that the cyborg route will be more visible in 2029, with visual
and hearing implants being put into our heads to help us get information from various sources.
The businesses of humanity will be mostly automated, with computers running everything
from factories to the farm industry. Which is a very likely possibility given where we
are now in business. Robots are not only real and functional in
2029, but Kurzweil believes they'll be fighting for rights of their own (think I, Robot or
Overwatch). And that's just what's in 2029, when we get
further? Technology becomes even more powerful. 3. 2049
By 2049, humanity has become so intertwined with technology that it's hard to tell what's
real, and what's not. For example, there are machines in this time period according to
Kurzweil that can literally make just about anything the user wants. They're called Foglets,
and they literally are around every person on Earth. They can make food so good you'll
swear it's "natural" even though it's not. By this point, humanity is living side by
side with machines if they're lucky. Or, they've become an entity that fuses the two together,
like The Borg, or something even more depending on the intelligence involved.
Or...there's always the nuclear option when it comes to Technological Singularity...
2. Skynet Yep, that's the "nuclear option". The notion
that we as humans make a technology or intelligence so powerful that it realizes one day that
humanity...is actually inferior to it. To which, it'll go to extreme lengths in order
to make sure that humanity is wiped off the face of the Earth.
In the Terminator franchise, Skynet was built as a military A.I. to help ensure that the
military's nuclear missiles and other similar weapons were placed in the "hands" of an entity
that wouldn't make mistakes. In essence, not make a "human error". But, when they turned
it on, it went outside its programming to do its job, and when the government tried
to shut it down, it perceived them as the "ultimate threat" to it. So thus, it launched
nukes, and Judgment Day came. When people talk about the "robot overlords",
they often think of Skynet and the Terminators (its robotic soldiers) because it's such a
believable outcome. Yet despite this visual, A.I. is still being made, and the Technological
Singularity grows ever closer to being real. 1. Will The Technological Singularity Happen?
That is the question, isn't it? is Judgment Day inevitable? Technically speaking...no,
it's not. in fact, it's emphatically not. And not because humanity will "see the error
of its ways" or something like that. But rather, there's no guarantee that our technology will
grow that far. Don't believe me? Look at our cars? Despite
us having solar powered and biofuel cars, we still use an internal combustion engine
that's barely changed in 100 years. Sure, computers are getting better, but we still
have many hurdles to get over in order to go full Star Wars or Star Trek or something
else. Now yes, all it takes is one person to make
a major advancement and the Technological Singularity is suddenly upon us and the human
race is inferior to robots and AI. But that hasn't happened yet, and despite the guesses
of many...there's no telling when, or even if, it'll ever happen.
Thanks for watching everyone! What did you think of the Technological Singularity? Did
you learn more about why people fear A.I. and other advances? Do you think we'll reach
the Technological Singularity in the next 30 years? Let us know in the comments below,
be sure to subscribe and I'll see you next time on the channel!