The Singularity Is Nearer

Last updated
The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI
Author Ray Kurzweil
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Penguin Books
Publication date
June 25, 2024 [1]
Publication placeUnited States
Pages432
ISBN 9780399562761
Preceded by How to Create a Mind  

The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI is a 2024 non-fiction book by futurist Ray Kurzweil. It is the sequel to his 2005 bestseller book The Singularity Is Near . The book was released on June 25, 2024. He reiterates two key dates from his previous book, which predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) would reach human intelligence by 2029 and merge with humans by 2045, an event he calls "The Singularity." [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Content

In an interview with societyforscience and ScienceNews, Kurzweil said that the book will contain a chapter "that shows ...how dramatically every aspect of human life has improved over the decades and over the centuries". [5] [6]

Kurzweil only mentions OpenAI twice, suggesting he sees it as a blip in the larger story of human history.

He explained, "Some people find this frightening. But [The Singularity] is going to be beautiful and will expand our consciousness in ways we can barely imagine, like a person who is deaf hearing the most exquisite symphony for the first time." [1]

Development

The book was initially scheduled to be released in 2021, but was delayed until 2022, [7] [8] and then 2024.

Related Research Articles

Artificial intelligence (AI), in its broadest sense, is intelligence exhibited by machines, particularly computer systems. It is a field of research in computer science that develops and studies methods and software that enable machines to perceive their environment and use learning and intelligence to take actions that maximize their chances of achieving defined goals. Such machines may be called AIs.

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The technological singularity—or simply the singularity—is a hypothetical future point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable consequences for human civilization. According to the most popular version of the singularity hypothesis, I. J. Good's intelligence explosion model of 1965, an upgradable intelligent agent could eventually enter a positive feedback loop of self-improvement cycles, each new and more intelligent generation appearing more and more rapidly, causing a rapid increase ("explosion") in intelligence which would ultimately result in a powerful superintelligence, qualitatively far surpassing all human intelligence.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Dreibelbis, Emily (3 June 2024). "Ray Kurzweil: AI Is Not Going to Kill You, But Ignoring It Might". PCMag. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  2. Kuzwell, Ray. "The Singularity is Nearer". Penguin. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  3. Hill, David J. (2015-06-05). "Exponential Finance: Ray Kurzweil Stresses Humanity's 'Moral Imperative' in Developing Artificial Intelligence". Singularity Hub. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  4. Smith, Daniel S. (2024-03-07). "The Singularity is Nearer". The Times of Israel . Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  5. "Conversations with Maya: Ray Kurzweil | Society for Science & the Public" . Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  6. "Conversations with Maya: Ray Kurzweil". Science News. Retrieved 2020-10-10.
  7. Sullivan, Danny (2020-05-20). "Longevity and the Singularity - Longevity.Technology - Latest News, Opinions, Analysis and Research". Longevity.Technology - Latest News, Opinions, Analysis and Research. Retrieved 2024-04-18.
  8. Kurzweil, Ray (2020-01-01). "celebrating: 15 year anniversary of the book the Singularity Is Near" . Retrieved 2024-04-18.