Some Singularity Signs

Technological Singularity: The technological singularity is a hypothesized point in the future variously characterized by the technological creation of self-improving intelligence, unprecedentedly rapid technological progress, or some combination of the two.^[1]

I haven’t posted or written about Vernor Vinge’s Technological Singularity lately for various reasons, one of which is the nature of the ‘techno-rapture’ aspect of it. If it isn’t Mohammet, Jesus Christ, aliens, Bigfoot coming to save us worthless human beings from being totally annihalated, it’s our coming AI over-lords.

That said, here are some clippings that are sure to give us pause, and perhaps think about the possibility of the Singularity occurring, despite (or in spite of?) the machinations of the NWO, or other reasons.

Virtual Child Passes Mental Milestone

A virtual child controlled by artificially intelligent software has passed a cognitive test regarded as a major milestone in human development. It could lead to smarter computer games able to predict human players’ state of mind.

Children typically master the “false belief test” at age 4 or 5. It tests their ability to realise that the beliefs of others can differ from their own, and from reality.

The creators of the new character – which they called Eddie – say passing the test shows it can reason about the beliefs of others, using a rudimentary “theory of mind“.

“Today’s characters have no genuine autonomy or mental picture of who you are,” researcher Selmer Bringsjord of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, told New Scientist.

Of course people will debate whether the creature has a ‘soul’ or not.

Ghost in the machine?

‘Robot Arms Race’ Under Way?

Governments around the world are rushing to develop military robots capable of killing autonomously without considering the legal and moral implications, warns a leading roboticist. But another robotics expert argues that robotic soldiers could perhaps be made more ethical than human ones.

Noel Sharkey of Sheffield University, UK, says he became “really scared” after researching plans outlined by the US and other nations to roboticise their military forces. He will outline his concerns at a one-day conference in London, UK, on Wednesday.

Over 4000 semi-autonomous robots are already deployed by the US in Iraq, says Sharkey, and other countries – including several European nations, Canada, South Korea, South Africa, Singapore and Israel – are developing similar technologies.

This is very real and frightening. It sounds like ‘Terminator’, but ‘war-bots’ that become self aware and have no inhibition of killing humans indiscriminately should have the NWO inbreds take notice. I wonder if the elitists consider Asimov’s Three Laws quaint like the Geneva Conventions?

They wouldn’t be exempt, no matter what they think.

Here’s a lighter side to robotic intelligence, actually being help-mates that Asimov envisioned.

Robots Cater To Japan’s Elderly

If you grow old in Japan, expect to be served food by a robot, ride a voice-recognition wheelchair or even possibly hire a nurse in a robotic suit — all examples of cutting-edge technology to care for the country’s rapidly graying population.With nearly 22 percent of Japan’s population already aged 65 or older, businesses here have been rolling out everything from easy-entry cars to remote-controlled beds, fueling a care technology market worth some $1.08 billion in 2006, according to industry figures.At a home care and rehabilitation convention in Tokyo this week, buyers crowded round a demonstration of Secom Co.’s My Spoon feeding robot, which helps elderly or disabled people eat with a spoon- and fork-fitted swiveling arm.Operating a joystick with his chin, developer Shigehisa Kobayashi maneuvered the arm toward a block of silken tofu, deftly getting the fork to break off a bite-sized piece. The arm then returned to a preprogrammed position in front of the mouth, allowing Kobayashi to bite and swallow.“It’s all about empowering people to help themselves,” Kobayashi said. The Tokyo-based company has already sold 300 of the robots, which come with a price tag of $3,500

Not only will robots help the elderly, they’ll also ‘help’ in another age-old need:

Humans could marry robots within the century. And consummate those vows.

“My forecast is that around 2050, the state of Massachusetts will be the first jurisdiction to legalize marriages with robots,” artificial intelligence researcher David Levy at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands told LiveScience. Levy recently completed his Ph.D. work on the subject of human-robot relationships, covering many of the privileges and practices that generally come with marriage as well as outside of it.

At first, sex with robots might be considered geeky, “but once you have a story like ‘I had sex with a robot, and it was great!’ appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I’d expect many people to jump on the bandwagon,” Levy said.

Yeah, I know there’s a few of you out there that say, ‘evil’, ‘sick’, ‘insane’, ‘demented’ and any other epitet one enunciates.

But consider this, if there’s even a remote chance that robots, computers, the Google-plex cloud or any other artificial intelligence becomes self-aware, which would you rather it happen to?

I thought so! 😛