The Singularity is Nearer

This is a fascinating book. Although I bought it to get a better understanding of artificial intelligence (AI), it covers much more. The author also discusses technologies such as 3D printing and vertical farming which are undergoing accelerated development. When discussing these technologies, he cites historical examples to make his point. Although some topics are extremely technical, the author’s writing style makes these concepts easy to understand. The term “singularity” refers to the moment when human consciousness is enhanced beyond our current comprehension. In the field of nanotechnology, the author discusses a potential increase in human intelligence through virtual neurons such that people will directly interface with the cloud. He also shows how the associated cost is rapidly decreasing. For example, one dollar now buys over 11,000 times as much computing power as it did a decade ago. An astonishing level of reduction. These metrics are then paired with graphs to give the reader a clear picture. One interesting topic is the concept of mind uploading (aka: whole brain emulation). Computers will be able to simulate human brains in every way within the next two decades. This is followed by what it means to transfer someone’s consciousness into a computer brain. He also discusses the legal implications of a conscious AI and the inability of our political and legal systems to adapt fast enough to enshrine certain rights into law. In the future, biological brains cannot keep up with minds augmented by non-biological nanoengineering. Equally fascinating is an analysis on how the world has become safer. There is currently less violence and greater literacy than in previous centuries. He then highlights how positive developments never make the news. We only see negative stories because they are newsworthy and entertaining. Bottom line: This book covers multiple areas of technology and describes how they will likely change our society. It is written in a manner that is easy to understand, and it will definitely open the reader’s eyes to what is coming.

I bought this book because I believe Kurzweil's predictions, particularly about computation acceleration, are eye-opening. However, even though The Singularity is Nearer is based on A.I. development, it devotes a lot of time to the social and biological implications of the technology, according to Kurzweil. While I am convinced that his foresight is generally correct with regard to technological advancement, I am not persuaded that his largely rosey description of the future is correct. Even if A.I. eventually results in certain positive outcomes, I think Kurzweil significantly underestimates the social disruption that would occur before society gets to those ideal results, if it ever does. The revolution, or its aftermath, could be so catastrophic that the disruption reaches a point of no return. In my opinion, Kurzweil underestimates possibilities like this. He seems eager to get to positive biological outcomes, particualrly in relation to nanotechnology and the aging process. In online interviews with Kurzweil, and in this book, the thought kept coming back to me that Kurzweil's ultimate objective is to live forever. I have heard him say that he is going to extremes in attempt to live a decade or two longer so that he can benefit from advanced A.I., perhaps through digitally preserving his consciousness. These ideas reminded me of Ecclesiastes 3:11, which says that God "has put eternity into man’s heart." Even if Kurzweil's predictions about A.I., society, and even biology are correct, I don't think he will find what he is looking for. In my view, his search is ultimately about God. A few note to lay readers: Within the first 20 pages of the book, Kurzweil inserts a sophisticated 8-page discussion on neutral networks. Don't put the book down in this section! It should have been an appendix. Also, the last chapter is called "Dialogue with Cassandra." It's an interesting interview, but there is no preface to the conversation at the beginning of the chapter. I double-checked the introduction and the notes in the back of the book and couldn't find out more information about what I was reading or who Cassandra is. I must have missed something. Nevertheless, a quick Google search suggests that Cassandra is fictional. Perhaps this is a pop-culture reference I don't know about. Still, it's an interesting read, even if a little bizarre.

To have a sense of what we can expect in the future, we have to examine the trends of the past. That is the foundation of this very readable book. Kurzweil does a thorough job of presenting historical data in graphs and tables and explaining how the trends point to what we can expect in the next quarter century. You’d think this is all technology focused, but it is much more than that. He looks at trends in violent crime (declining), health and longevity (improving), poverty (declining) and other factors and explains how social trends enhance the development of technology and in turn how technology has a positive impact on society. This is an excellent choice for book club discussions. There’s enough detail about advancing technology to help the layperson to understand it and at the same time encourage further research. Since it a prediction of the future, one can make a argument in support of his conclusions or suggest some alternative paths. I can envision some spirited discussions. When you think about, looking to the future is an accelerating trend in itself. The Singularity is Nearer and Kurzweil’s other books are both the catalyst and result of that trend.

A deeply thought provoking and researched vision of humanity next Great Leap Forward. Where exponential technologies blur the boundary between human and machine intelligence. From the six epochs of evolution to the laws of accelerating returns, Kurzweil explains complex ideas with clarity and optimism. Particularly powerful is his exploration of AI and deep learning with its impact on longevity escape velocity. Whether you’re a technologist or a curious futurist, this book challenges you to rethink what it might mean to be human in a AI-driven world.

O autor nos atualiza e nos alerta para a necessidade do estabelecimento de uma conformidade ética que é premente para garantirmos a segurança da própria humanidade diante de novas tecnologias emergentes.

I waited for the publication of this book for over a year. The result is amazing. Ray is a genius when it comes to explaining with logic and simplicity a future unimaginable to many people. He has been often right in his predictions and now reading about such transformations in the next 20 years gives me so much food for thought. I was aware of many technological advancements and theories presented, but what stroked me most is how Ray connects the dots and logically creates the future in which we probably live in. Everybody should be aware of the concepts, developments, and theories within this book. I look forward to dig deeper on these topics.

boken levererades ej i nyskick utan var tydligt att den var använd och hade lånats/lästs av någon annan.

What a disappointment. The Singularity is Near has a proud place in my book collection, so I was thrilled to see Ray Kurzweil had written a follow-up. In reality, this is more of a reprint of the original with only the first (very short) part feeling like genuinely new material. Moreover, much of the rest of the book is full of meandering waffle that gets incredibly irritating after a while. At some point Ray starts going on about the proliferation of flushing toilets in the 20th century. I kid you not. Just too many tangents like this. At that point I requested a refund. If you haven't read the first book, this may be worth a look still for some of the nice insights into the speed of technological progress. And I like the fact that Ray emphasises how much good progress has happened over the years in eg. crime reduction, which most of the public don't seem to realise (presumably, otherwise they wouldn't be voting for loonies like Trump).