transhumanism / transhumanismus » AI / Singularity

„Merely Human? That’s So Yesterday

rheil — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 04:40:17 +0000

„Merely Human? That’s So Yesterday (New York Times, 06/11/2010, By ASHLEE VANCE)

Some of Silicon Valley’s smartest and wealthiest people have embraced the Singularity. They believe that technology may be the only way to solve the world’s ills, while also allowing people to seize control of the evolutionary process. For those who haven’t noticed, the Valley’s most-celebrated company — Google — works daily on building a giant brain that harnesses the thinking power of humans in order to surpass the thinking power of humans.

Larry Page, Google’s other co-founder, helped set up Singularity University in 2008, and the company has supported it with more than $250,000 in donations. Some of Google’s earliest employees are, thanks to personal donations of $100,000 each, among the university’s “founding circle.” (Mr. Page did not respond to interview requests.)“ [read original article]

Israel’s Value to Transhumanism

rheil — Wed, 19 May 2010 05:19:11 +0000

Israel’s Value to Transhumanism (h+ magazin)

„Imagine this sci-fi scenario: A small tribe with unique literature, customs and myths believes they’ve been “chosen” for a glorious destiny. But they’re driven out of their native land, forced to wander the globe for aeons, persecuted and annihilated, until they’re impelled by a utopian novel to return to their homeland. They name their new city after the inspirational book and their country becomes a technological powerhouse… but still, they’re surrounded by enemies. They wage eternal war, they hover between hope and apocalypse… their contributions to humanity are astounding but they continue to fear total extinction.“ [read original article]

Werden wir ewig leben?

rheil — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:38:23 +0000

Werden wir ewig leben? (Jörg Auf dem Hövel, telepolis, 15.04.2010)

„Ein Interview-Sammelband prüft die Thesen von Ray Kurzweil und gibt den Stand der Dinge zu Enhancement und Lebensverlängerung zum besten.

Roman Brinzanik und Tobias Hülswitt haben nun unter dem Titel „Werden wir ewig leben?“ die Ideen von Kurzweil zum Anlass genommen, den heutigen Stand der Naturwissenschaften zu optimierenden und lebensverlängernden Maßnahmen mit ihren Interviewpartner abzuklären, Wissenschaft von Heilsversprechen zu treffen und die ethischen Herausforderungen auszuloten. Zu Wort kommen unter anderem der Chemie-Nobelpreisträger Jean-Marie Lehn, der Stammzellforscher Hans Schöler, der Hirnforscher Wolf Singer, der Demographen James W. Vaupel und der Technik-Ethiker Bert Gordijn.“ [zum Originalartikel]

Singularity FAQ

rheil — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 06:01:22 +0000

Singularity FAQ (The Rationalist Futurist, Thomas McCabe / Kaj Sotala)

„It is not intended to be an introduction to the Singularity; rather, it is intended to answer the questions of those who have already heard about the Singularity, but still have questions about some of the issues. Due to its length, this document has been broken up into many different sub-sections. Sections of the Singularity FAQ:

Alternatives to Friendly AI

AI and Consciousness

The desirability of a Singularity

The Intelligence Explosion

General Questions

Implementing the Singularity

Implementing Friendly AI

On Intelligence

Miscellaneous Questions

The Power of Intelligence

Societal Issues

The Progress of Technology“ [read original article]

Bedrohen die Roboter Mensch und Gesellschaft?

rheil — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:22:02 +0000

Bedrohen die Roboter Mensch und Gesellschaft?

Florian Rötzer 27.07.2009, telepolis

„Eine Gruppe von US-Wissenschaftlern will die Entwicklung der Künstlichen Intelligenz sichern, indem sie vor Gefahren warnen und Regeln für die Forschung fordern

Roboter werden nicht nur autonomer, klüger und geschickter, sie dringen auch in immer weitere Bereiche der Lebenswelt ein. Offenbar ist eine Gruppe von Computerexperten, KI-Forschern und Robotwissenschaftlern, die im Februar an einem Treffen der Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence – natürlich in Kalifornien – teilgenommen haben, um über die künftige Folgen fortgeschrittener Künstlicher Intelligenz auf die Gesellschaft zu sprechen und einen Bericht zu verfassen, durchaus beunruhigt.“ [zum Originalartikel]

Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man

rheil — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 05:25:07 +0000

Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man (By JOHN MARKOFF, published: July 25, 2009, New York Times)

„A robot that can open doors and find electrical outlets to recharge itself. Computer viruses that no one can stop. Predator drones, which, though still controlled remotely by humans, come close to a machine that can kill autonomously.

Impressed and alarmed by advances in artificial intelligence, a group of computer scientists is debating whether there should be limits on research that might lead to loss of human control over computer-based systems that carry a growing share of society’s workload, from waging war to chatting with customers on the phone.“ [read original article]

Singing the Singularity

rheil — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 05:20:29 +0000

Singing the Singularity

Mike Treder (posted on IEET, Jul 16, 2009)

„Like many a useful concept, the Technological Singularity has become over-invested with emotion, ideological leanings, and tangential agendas. Can its value be recovered?

On October 3, 2009, the fourth annual Singularity Summit will convene, this time in New York City. Among the speakers featured in the two-day event are IEET fellows Ben Goertzel and Aubrey de Grey, along with Ray Kurzweil, Anders Sandberg, Robin Hanson, Eliezer Yudkowsky, Greg Benford, and many others.

So what’s it all about?“ [read original article]

Transhumanist Salvation or Judgment Day?

rheil — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:42:03 +0000

Transhumanist Salvation or Judgment Day? (By Lou Cabron, June 30th, 2009, 10 Zen Monkeys)

„We’re starting to brush up against real robots, real nanotech, and maybe even the first real artificial intelligence. But will emerging technologies destroy humankind — or will humankind be saved by an emerging transhumanism?“ [read original article]

The AI Report – The Past, Present and Future of artificial Intelligence

rheil — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:20:54 +0000

The AI Report

The Past, Present and Future of artificial Intelligence

„Can machines think? In 1950, Alan Turing, considered by some to be the father of modern computing, published a paper in which he proposed that, “If, during text-based conversation, a machine is indistinguishable from a human, then it could be said to be ‘thinking’ and, therefore, could be attributed with intelligence.” He predicted that a computer would pass this “Turing Test” by the end of the century. That hasn’t happened–yet. But the question continues to provoke and inspire. AI might be just around the corner, or it might be centuries away. Edited By Courtney Boyd Myers“ [read original article]

Ray Kurzweil: A singular view of the future

rheil — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:29:14 +0000

Ray Kurzweil: A singular view of the future

New Scientist, 06 May 2009 by Liz Else

„For inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil, being human with limited intelligence and doomed biology was never good enough. So he came up with an idea called the Singularity – a time when humans merge with machines, become smart and live forever. From MIT to the White House, people either hate the idea or can’t wait for it to happen. So, asks Liz Else, will any of us live long enough to see it?“ [read original article]