Technological Singularity and Artificial Intelligence

What is Artificial Intelligence? 

Intelligence is defined as "the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills". Like humans, machines are intelligent. The intelligence of machines is called Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). A.I. is also related to computer programs that perform tasks using intelligence.

How did Artificial Intelligence research start?

After the second World War, people started to program computers. People decided that it was easier to program computers rather than build machines. This is how A.I. was later researched. Research made programmed computers become more and more advanced/intelligent.

Examples of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is displayed by machines like computers. Computers have speed and memory and are able to perform all kinds of commands. Computers can communicate information instantly and process data in record time. One example of A.I. is a computer being able to compose music. While this may not seem very impressive or intelligent, it is. Music is a form of self-expression. A computer does not have a "self", so it shows that the computer has a high level of intelligence. Another example of A.I. is a computer playing chess. Chess is a game of strategy and skill. Computers are able to beat the best chess players in chess with their speed and skills. A computer is able to analyze every possible move at one moment, while a human can only analyze a few moves. Computers can transmit information at up to 2.56 terabytes per second. This is still not quite as fast as a human can think, but it is still exceptionally fast.

The Debate on Artificial Intelligence

Some scientists encourage the development and progression of A.I. and others do not support it. Scientists like Hawking and Musk don't think A.I. is a good thing. Hawking says that A.I. could result in the end of the human race. Companies like Google and Apple believe that A.I. is a good and beneficial thing. Companies like these keep creating new machines and programs using A.I. An example of this is Apple's Siri.

What is the Technological Singularity? 

Technological singularity, or the singularity, is what scientists call the time when machines become more intelligent than humans. Machines are just getting more and more intelligent and their degree of intelligence will one day surpass the level of intelligence of human beings. When the singularity occurs, computers will be able to think faster than humans.

When will the Singularity occur?

There are many different predictions as to when the singularity will occur. Kurzweil predicts that the singularity will occur in 2045. Vinge predicts that it will occur sometime before 2030. Armstrong predicts that it will occur sometime between 2017 2112. Scientists may not agree on when the technological singularity will occur, but they can all agree that it is inevitable that it will occur in the near future. 

How will the Singularity occur?

Vinge predicts that the singularity will occur in one of four ways. The first possibility is that scientists develop new advancements that make computers artificially more intelligent than humans. Another way is that computers progressively get more intelligent and surpass humans' level of intelligence. The third possibility is that computer/human interfaces become so close that humans basically evolve into machines. The final possibility is that scientists find a way to engineer natural human intelligence. According to Vinge, the imminent singularity will occur in one of these four ways.

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