The Singularity. It sounds like a cheesy eighties sci-fi flick starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carrie Fisher, complete with one-liners and a cult following that survives till this day. However unfortunate it may be, that’s not what the Singularity refers to. It refers to the greatest paradigm shift in humanity’s history, and it would alter our understanding of the Earth in an unimaginable way. It refers to the point in time where Artificial Intelligence (AI) will become so intelligent that they will out perform humanity and gain new knowledge at an exponential rate.
This Singularity would raise all people from poverty, destroy any possibility of war, and bring a new era of harmony to the world. It may also be our downfall if AI is
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not programmed correctly. However, even at the possibility of this unfortunate outcome, I still believe that AI will be the greatest achievement in human history and will ensure that our species will exist for as long as the universe. This shift in human consciousness, catalyzed by AI, will bring only benefits if done correctly, and is our only chance for a continued existence at our current way of living. As much as that statement may appear to be hyperbole, there are many prominent and intelligent scientists alive today that agree with the above train of thought.
Take for example the prominent futurist Ray Kurzweil. Kurzweil was among the first to anticipate the rise of the internet in the nineties, while most prominent scientists refused to believe that the sparsely connected ancient computers would ever have any true effect on the World. Nowadays we take the internet and its vast source of knowledge for granted, as if it had always existed. Although his prediction for the growth of the internet is impressive, he has made many other predictions, an astounding 70% of so have proved to be true. His latest, and most controversial, is the prediction that “We will successfully reverse-engineer the human brain by the mid-2020s. By the end of that decade, computers will be capable of human-level intelligence. Kurzweil puts the date of the Singularity — never say he's not conservative — at 2045. In that year, he estimates, given the vast increases in computing power and the vast reductions in the cost of same, the quantity of artificial intelligence created will be about a billion times the sum of all the human intelligence that exists today.” (Grossman). Kurzweil came to this prediction based off of exponential graphs he extrapolated out, and to this point in time they’ve been highly accurate. If he’s correct I believe that in the next coming years the scientific discoveries
that will abound will be shocking, and will cause chaos because it will lend credence to Kurzweil and his radical theories. Now that we’ve established the Singularity as a plausible and scientific theory, let us talk about what may happen to the world during and after the historic event. First off we as a species would have to relinquish the throne as the most intelligent being in the universe, because the AI (referred to as general AI at this point) would be able to hold much more information and use it at a faster and more successful rate than any living human.
Sex, love, depression, guilt, trust, all are topics presented in this remarkably well written and performed drama. The Flick, a 2014 Pulitzer Prize winning drama by Annie Baker, serves to provide a social commentary which will leave the audience deep in thought well after the curtain closes. Emporia State Universities Production of this masterpiece was a masterpiece in itself, from the stunningly genuine portrayal of the characters of Avery and Rose, to the realism found within the set, every aspect of the production was superb.
In the documentary “Fed Up,” sugar is responsible for Americas rising obesity rate, which is happening even with the great stress that is set on exercise and portion control for those who are overweight. Fed Up is a film directed by Stephanie Soechtig, with Executive Producers Katie Couric and Laurie David. The filmmaker’s intent is mainly to inform people of the dangers of too much sugar, but it also talks about the fat’s in our diets and the food corporation shadiness. The filmmaker wants to educate the country on the effects of a poor diet and to open eyes to the obesity catastrophe in the United States. The main debate used is that sugar is the direct matter of obesity. Overall, I don’t believe the filmmaker’s debate was successful.
"Mrs. Robinson, you are trying to seduce me," says Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman). The Graduate, directed by Mike Nichols in 1967 is an influential satire/comedy film about a recent East Coast college graduated who finds himself alienated and aimless in the changing, social and sexual general public of the 1960s, and questioning the values of society. The theme of the film is of an innocent and confused youth who is exploited, mis-directed, seduced (literally and figuratively) and betrayed by a corrupt, self-indulgent, and discredited older generation (that finds stability in “plastics”) that I found to be quite clear and understanding, while also capturing the real spirit of the times and allows America's youth to perceive onscreen an image of themselves which they can both identify with and emulate. The Graduate is a significant film even today due to its use of abstract camera angles, telephoto lenses, excellent cinematography, and great acting. Few visual effects were used, however, matting and numerous point of view shots were used. These characteristics and the fabulous use of mis-en-scene, great writing and the era of the film all made The Graduate what it is today, magnificent.
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) and State and Main (2000) are films within films that unmask Hollywood Cinema as a dream factory and expose the grotesque, veneer hidden by the luxury of stars. The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is a black and white film narrated in flashback form. The films theatrical nature requires more close-ups than wide-screen shots to capture the character’s psychological turmoil. For example, Fred and Jonathan’s car ride is captured in a close-up to signify their friendship; however their relationship deteriorates after Jonathan’s deceit. While the camera zooms out, Fred stands alone motionless. Here, Fred is captured from a distance at eye-level and he becomes ostracized by the film industry and
John Markoff's "The Doomsday Machine" is an intriguing view on how our technology may exponentially improve into the future, but the essay fails to support the thesis statement that our technology will eventually destroy the human race. His dire predictions for our future are based on theories as well as conclusions that are themselves based on theories. These predictions do not account for how other simultaneous technological advancements and the desire for profit will affect our world. It ignores the power of human imagination, ingenuity, feelings, and personal motivation. There is also a complete disregard for God's plan.
Nick Bilton starts “Artificial Intelligence as a Threat” with a comparison of Ebola, Bird flu, SARS, and artificial intelligence. Noted by Bilton, humans can stop Ebola, bird flu, and SARS. However, artificial intelligence, if it ever exceeds human intelligence, would not be stoppable by humans. Bilton, in his article, argues that AI is the biggest threat to humans at our current time, more serious than Ebola and other diseases. Bilton references many books and articles which provide examples of threats of AI.
The Fault in Our Movie Adaptation In 2014, John Green’s famous novel The Fault in Our Stars was brought to life with a film adaptation. The novel tells the story of two star-crossed lovers, Augustus Waters (portrayed by Ansel Elgort) and Hazel Grace Lancaster (portrayed by Shailene Woodley). The novel is written from Hazel’s point of view. However, there is something different about this love story than others. Hazel and Augustus are both cancer patients.
Currently, computers can calculate and run algorithms much faster than humans, and if strong A.I. was to exist, these technological beings would be intelligently superior to human kind. Elon Musk, a world renowned technological genius, fears Silicon Valley’s rush into artificial intelligence, because he believes it poses a threat to humanity (Dowd, Maureen). Musk stated that “one reason to colonize Mars – so that we’ll have a bolt-hole if A.I. goes rogue and turns on humanity” (Dowd, Maureen). The possibility of this outcome is real because if strong A.I. was to exist, they have the potentially to surpass humans in every aspect. The main difference between A.I. and humans is that humans are conscious beings that can think for themselves. If A.I. was to develop consciousness, they would be able to do every task much more efficiently than humans. According to Stephen Hawking, “If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that improves and replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that outperforms humans” (Sulleyman, Aatif). This world-renowned physicist believes that A.I. will begin to self-improve upon themselves through an algorithm that allows A.I. to learn. Ultimately, this technological being will advance to a point where it realizes that it does not need humans anymore. “Back in 2015, he [Stephen Hawking] also
The Wolf of Wall Street produced and directed by Martin Scorsese tells a story of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker living a luxurious life on Wall Street. Due to greed and corruption, Jordan falls into a life of crime and abusive activities. Belfort made millions of dollars by selling customers “penny stocks” and manipulating the market through his company, Stratton Oakmont, before being convicted of any criminal activity (Solomon, 2013). Jordan reveals behaviours and impulses all humans have, however, on an extreme level. This movie illustrates “why ethics is another tool whose importance cannot be overstated” (Delaney, 2014). Without ethics and morality, individuals can never truly live an honest and happy life.
One of the most popular social networking websites today is none other than Facebook. People use Facebook in order to stay connected with their friends, family and the people around them, to discover what’s going in the world, in addition to share and express what matters to them. The Social Network is a film on how Facebook was created. There was a series of events, character development, relationships and a series of different emotions that are shown throughout the film.
Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan, was a very complex and interesting sci-fi movie. This movie in particular has a lot of factors playing into the movie. Everyone is able to find their favorite part about the movie, and various people can watch this movie and connect with it. This movie came out in 2014, and shocked millions of people by its intense ending. Interstellar was awarded for best visual effects, and then nominated for many other things including, best original score, best sound mixing, and best sound effects which played a huge role in making the movie. The image and sound complement each other, but I thought that image dominated over sound because there were so many silent moments throughout the movie. I thought the plot
She called Eddie wanting to know what to do and he advises her to take one of the pills implying that it will be clear once she is on the drug (Limitless). This shows that in the movie, taking that little clear pill instantly fixes a situation. This is a view that is shared in the American society today. If you’re looking for proof, just think about how when a child is diagnosed with a hyperactivity disorder (ADD, ADHD) the doctor often immediately prescribes adderall.
Pop culture has explored this idea and gave fictional tales of what can happen if artificial intelligence “goes bad”. While it may not be a credible source, it still has room for interpretation. Allowing robotics what is arguably the most influential trait today, a mind, is a frightening thought. Researching the human mind is still a field of study today and is not fully understood. How can scientists and researchers behind artificial intelligence accurately come up with how the human mind interacts with itself and its surroundings? Yes, they can start with the ability to learn, such as a path of an infant absorbing knowledge through its adolescence, but what if the expansion of information becomes exponential? The artificial intelligence may gain full control and depth of their mind and comprehend the world differently as humans do. This brings the artificial intelligence to a cognitive and spiritual level beyond that of the human mind. If this were to happen humans cannot be able to understand the artificial intelligence. They have programmed it to learn itself, its mind, and how to operate. What level is that beyond a human mind, a god? At one point researchers that developed the artificial intelligence had a grasp and outlook for their technology’s lifespan. What they thought the artificial intelligence may derive from its programming, has transformed into something completely dissimilar. The artificial
When most people think of artificial intelligence they might think of a scene from I, Robot or from 2001: A Space Odyssey. They might think of robots that highly resemble humans start a revolution against humanity and suddenly, because of man’s creation, man is no longer the pinnacle of earth’s hierarchy of creatures. For this reason, it might scare people when I say that we already utilize artificial intelligence in every day society. While it might not be robots fighting to win their freedom to live, or a defense system that decides humanity is the greatest threat to the world, artificial intelligence already plays a big role in how business is conducted today.
According to some, this event will lead to the extermination of mankind as humans are deemed obsolete. Yet others are projecting a mergence between A.I. and humanity, a gradual conversion of man and machine. Will the projected apex of our technical evolution be a gradual or abrupt end of mankind? The Technological singularity is defined by three concepts: 1. the moment when artificial intelligence becomes super intelligent, capable of improving itself more rapidly than the greatest human mind, 2.)