The Technological Singularity, that near-term point in time (2030?) when technology advances beyond humanity’s ability to comprehend it, will not be comprised of a single trend or a convergence of a few choice trends. It is a black hole sucking in all progress and breaking all rules in the process. The technological singularity sits so prominently on our horizon that one almost expects a visible manifestation of it to suddenly appear in our sky.
While public awareness of the technology singularity is low, it appears to be tugging on human affairs just like the gravity of an approaching black hole. Singularity-related conferences measure their attendance in the few hundreds. The number of books on the subject is multiplying, a few articles have begun to appear in magazines and newspapers, some military experts have begun analyzing the impact of such an event on the society, and a vibrant community of enthusiasts is growing along with a companion community of opponents to the idea.
There are many places on the net to learn more about the Singularity:
Books on the subject include:
- The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence by Ray Kurzweil
- The Spike: How Our Lives Are Being Transformed by Rapidly Advancing Technologies by Damien Broderick
A search for “technological singularity” in any search engine will provide a plethora of links and one site will often lead to many other interesting sites and further information on the subject.