Singularity
Summary of Singularity: Article by Vernor Vinge
Vernor Vinge’s Singularity is a contribution to the long debate about the fate of human race in the wake of technological advancements and specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI). Vernor in his article expects a Singularity event to occur in the next few decades. The articles present a picture where AI becomes self-educating and self-empowering that goes beyond the capabilities of the control of humans. The technological advancements including those of supercomputers, biological science and computer networks may pave the path for some superhumanly intelligent entity. Vernor discusses the consequences of such events from the human point of view and predicts a change of rules and developments that were thought to be not possible for another million years could happen in next century. Verne calls such an event as Singularity. Vernor, however, maintain in the same tone that a Singularity event is less likely to occur until the technological advancements reach the equivalent capabilities of the human mind. Vernor raises a question that can Singularity be avoided and in the same article answers that maybe it won’t happen at all and that there is no fear of AI exterminating the humanity (Vinge).
Self-Opinion on Singularity
After going through the complete article by Vernor Vinge on the possibility of the development of a superhuman entity and the notion of Singularity presented by him, I believe that the author has contradicted himself in the same article. At the start of the article, Vernor highlights the technological advancements and its impact on the human society. Vinge raises the fear that the technological advancements might bring out a situation where the machines and the computer network become highly intelligent, and take over the control from the humans. I think Vinge creates a fictional and hypothetical case though based on facts but supported by fiction. Vinge himself cites several works of fiction on the development of the technological capabilities and the possibilities of the extinction of the human race. Vinge talks about the Singularity event to occur and a possibility of the extension of the human race. However, Vinge also says that the probability of a Singularity event to occur is less, and it is highly likely that it will never occur. Vinge in the same article has contradicted himself twice by saying that Singularity many never happen and also saying that Singularity event cannot be prevented. Much of the premise of the article is based on the assumption that computer technology would become advance, self-intelligent and cause the eventual extinction of the human race.
Turing Test
Alan Turing developed a test in 1950, to test the abilities of machine’s to exhibit intelligent behavior that must be beyond the capabilities of the human mind. It was designed to be a judge between a human and a machine and the evaluator proposed was designed to generate human-like responses.
Works Cited
Vinge, Vernor. "The coming technological singularity: How to survive in the post-human era."
(1993).
Saygin, Ayse Pinar, Ilyas Cicekli, and Varol Akman. "Turing test: 50 years later." The Turing
Test. Springer Netherlands, 2003. 23-78.
