Marcus Cavanaugh

The Singularity

Lately I’ve been fascinated with the technological singularity, an intelligence explosion caused by the advancement of our computing power.

The most prominent man behind the research of the Singularity is Ray Kurzweil, the same guy who invented the Kurzweil [piano] keyboards. I have gone to the library and read some of his latest book, The Singularity is Near, in which he explains his predictions and the math and science behind them.

Computers are progressing at an exponential rate, indicating that by 2030, $1000 will buy enough processing power to simulate the human brain. From there, things get crazy.

One of his predictions is that, thanks to scientific advancements, we will be able to regrow and repair critical organs in our bodies within the next few decades, essentially allowing us to extend our lives by many years.

He goes on to make the bold prediction that those of us who will be alive in the mid 2040s will, through biotechnology, be able to extend our lives long enough to live forever, because once the Singularity hits, we’ll rapidly develop the ability to do incredible things like saving our minds on a computer.

This is fascinating to me on many levels, primarily because I think that technology will progress fast enough for the technological singularity to occur in my lifetime. Even if it doesn’t come as quickly or with as many implications as Kurzweil predicts, it will still have a profound impact on our lives.

Posted 10 April 2008 in Tech

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