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https://theconversation.com/taming-the-machine-should-the-technological-revolution-be-regulated-and-can-it-be-230120>
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Review: Techno: Humans and Technology – Marcus Smith (University of
Queensland Press)
Back in 2005 – before the rise of social media or smart phones, let alone
blockchain, metadata and OpenAI – computer scientist and entrepreneur Ray
Kurzweil published a breathlessly prophetic account of what he called “the
singularity”.
Kurzweil meant a moment in the not-too-distant future when super-intelligent
technology would suddenly exceed all imaginable human capacities, absorb
humanity into its operations, and spread its mastery across nothing less than
the universe itself. The
Singularity is Near, his title ominously declared.
And he was confident enough in his calculations to offer a precise date: 2045.
This year, almost exactly halfway between 2005 and 2045, Kurzweil released an
update on his prophesy. It was essentially the same prognosis, but with a
somewhat less ominous sounding title:
The Singularity is Nearer.
To understand Kurzweil, and the techno-prophets who have followed his lead, it
is worth thinking a little about the nature of prophesy itself. For even in its
ancient and religious forms, the purpose of prophesy has never really been to
predict the future. It has always been to influence the present – to convince
people to live their lives differently today, in preparation for a tomorrow
that can only ever be hypothetical.
In this context, it would be interesting to ask why so much of the discourse
around emerging technologies has become so apocalyptic in tone. What exactly is
such discourse likely to accomplish? Does predicting the impending eclipse of
humanity give anyone a reason to act now or change any aspect of their lives?
Or is the projected inevitability more likely to convince people that nothing
they do could possibly have any consequence?
No doubt, there is something darkly appealing about declarations of the end of
times. Their ubiquity throughout human history suggests as much. But there are
more productive, more balanced – if less sensational – ways of thinking and
speaking.
Without going all the way over to “the singularity”, can we construct a genuine
account of what is singular about our contemporary experience and the way it is
being shaped by the machines we build?
Marcus Smith’s new book
Techno: Humans and Technology is among the more
levelheaded approaches to the topic."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
