singularity – are we doomed?

This blog-post is the first in a series of 4 postings. It is about 4 mega-trends that each can take two paths. Heaven or hell. Everything depends on ourselves and our own decisions. The 5th post will be a summing up and conclusions.

Computers are just faster and faster. They calculate everything faster and can sort, cluster and find the connection between data in a dizzying speed. They are also getting smarter. Today’s chess programs are as good as and even better than the best human chess players. A small niche, but an indication of what is to come! Most people now agree that one day computers will be smarter than us humans. This point is sometimes called the singularity (Check also Ray Kurzweil’s pages). I know that smarter is a hard-defined word, but let us ignore the hair-splitting for a while! If we know that they take better decisions than us, can we avoid to follow the decisions? How can a company leaders or politicians justify a different decision when it is proved that the computers are a step ahead? Sooner or later, this impacts on society, the labor market, in the political system and economic systems. Major changes are imminent. I am not so afraid that computers will take take control, much like HAL in the movie 2001. Quite so simple, will it not be to swindle the  humanity! The big challenge is how we tackle the major structural changes that must take place. What would you work with and how? Why work? What will you do? How will you earn your living?

Start thinking now and don’t wait until the panic is here!

I anticipate that we will have many desperate political and other measures when this becomes apparent. Absurd laws and proposals will shower down. Threatened structures and systems are doing anything possible to survive. Hopefully it will not go astray during this time.

When will all this happen? It will take between 30-50 years according to computer experts. Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner predicts that the singularity will be here before 2050.

Heaven or hell?

Read also about the other 3 mega trends, in future blog postings, to get a broader picture.

Some links of  interest:

• The Singularity is near – and it has a university (venturebeat.com)
• Q&A;: Kurzweil on tech as a double-edged sword (news.cnet.com)
• Singularity in Wikipedia (From the text above)
• Ray Kurzweil’s pages (From the text above)