What Is the Singularity and When Will We Reach It?
Even if you’re not big into technology, you’ve likely heard about the singularity. The singularity has been a topic of conversation for many decades but has increased in its prevalence in the 21st century as AI technology advances. But what exactly is the singularity, and how soon are we set to reach it?
What Is the Singularity?
The singularity ties in with the field of artificial intelligence (AI), which involves developing a piece of technology that can perform tasks typically associated with humans alone. While most artificial intelligence is non-human-like, such as thatused in the manufacturing industryorcybersecurity field, today’s state-of-the-art creations are somewhat mind-blowing.
Take Sophia, for example, ahumanoid robotthat can converse with others and produce original answers. While Sophia would by no means be able to pass as a human, her development is representative of the direction in which artificial intelligence is leading. Though we cannot precisely predict the advancement of AI, it is thought that it will one day lead to the singularity.
The singularity refers to the point in time when the development of robotics and intelligent machines will become uncontrollable. In this scenario, artificial intelligence will be able to surpass the brain power of humans and will be able to evolve on its own. This kind of AI would be able to think of ideas and concepts beyond that of human understanding and will be able to do things that we are not capable of.
In more elaborate terms,Britannicadefines the singularity thus:
[A] theoretical condition that could arrive in the near future when a synthesis of several powerful new technologies will radically change the realities in which we find ourselves in an unpredictable manner
The main concern associated with the singularity is its potential to change the world entirely. If machines become so intelligent that they can take control of government resources, internet functionality, e-commerce, and so on, our societal structures may break down—or change drastically.
You’ve probably seen sci-fi films play with scenarios where a malicious AI strives to destroy the human race, and this is a very real concern for some. After all, humans have been the planet’s intellectually superior species for thousands of years, so a shift in this dynamic would certainly be monumental in one way or another.
There are a number of different singularities out there, all of which have different implications. For example, there’s a gravitational singularity, which refers to the point at which the sheer gravitational force exerted upon space-time causes it to break down. It is thought that such singularities exist at the centers of black holes.
But to be so worried about the singularity must mean that it will be reached soon, right? How long, exactly, is it going to take for us to reach this mammoth technological milestone?
When Will We Reach the Singularity?
At the moment, there’s no way of knowing exactly when we will reach the singularity. Technology is certainly advancing at a fairly rapid pace, but it’s hard to say how long it’ll take to develop something capable of producing a hyper-intelligent artificial conscience. But this hasn’t stopped people from making a wide array of predictions. So, let’s talk about the most well-backed estimations out there right now.
A particularly popular singularity-reaching year is 2045. This initially stemmed from the book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, authored by Google’s director of engineering and futurist Ray Kurzweil, currently the most reliable prediction, as it aligns with current technological advancements.
Kurzweil believes that the singularity could transform human society and change how we view ourselves as people. But note that this book was written in 2005, before Apple popularized smartphones as we now know them (they weren’t the only company making smartphones, but they definitely pushed them into the public sphere!).
But other individuals have predicted that the singularity may come even sooner than 2045 and possibly even in the next few years. But such predictions are often seen as slightly fantastical, simply because technology isn’t even near such a capability at the moment.
The Singularity May Be a Near Possibility—or Faraway Theory
While it’s highly likely that we will one day reach the singularity, any number of factors could prevent us from doing so. The development of a super-intelligent, artificial consciousness that could out-think human beings would require incredibly advanced and complex technological feats, which, today, we are not yet capable of. But with the continued evolution of technology, we may see the singularity on the horizon in our own lifetimes. What an idea!
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