It’s been called the “rapture of the nerds,” but such derision didn’t stop an estimated 500 enthusiasts from showing up to the Singularity Institute’s conference in San Jose, Calif., last weekend to discuss the possibility of artificial intelligence overtaking that of humans.
That’s the concept of technological singularity, popularized by author and inventor Ray Kurzweil. Talking about something that might happen, will be world-changing and can’t be predicted is quite the task. Yet some speakers gladly took it on.
“It’s hard to understand why a rational singularist would come to this conference,” economist James Miller told the crowd. “You don’t want to die [en route to the conference] and miss out on utopia.”
From an economist’s point of view, Miller said, people who believe in the singularity will save less because they will expect computers eventually to fix everything, including financial problems. Of course, that assumes one lives long enough to see the singularity, and one might need to save in order to live long enough to make it there. Such radically futuristic conversations brought up questions of a religious nature.
When asked how a belief in the singularity differs from a belief in the end of time for Christians, Miller said they were essentially the same. “A singularist shouldn’t drive to conferences, and a Christian shouldn’t commit adultery,” he said.
Yet not all the speakers were so off the cuff in dealing with the core issue of accelerating change.
Intel CTO Justin Rattner, obviously trying to distance himself from whipped-up ideas of utopia, said he felt a bit “like an accidental tourist” at the conference. He then proceeded to give one of the best talks of the day, showcasing technology that might actually lead to the place many singularists want to go.
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