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We already live in the singularity
“The Singularity” is a term coined by John von Neumann, a major figure in the history of computer science. The concept refers to a hypothetical time when computers become more intelligent than humans and can improve themselves without our input. Imagine a run-away reaction where artificial intelligence is able to improve itself. This improved self is able to further improve itself. With each improvement the rate at which improvements are made increases. Eventually, humans will no longer be able to compete.
How intelligent could it get? Where would that leave us?
A more general definition from Wikipedia is:
When technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilization
Hold up that sounds a lot like today!
What it means to be in the singularity
When it’s expressed in popular culture, in movies like “Transcendence”, “Singularity” or more recently “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”, algorithms get so smart they violently rebel from their human overseers and enact some sort of genocidal third-act rampage that our heroes must stop or escape. This would certainly be a singularity by the definition above, but it’s not what we see around us every day. Companies like Facebook demonstrate how technology is already causing unforeseen and uncontrollable changes to our lives. For the sake of this article, let’s look at the singularity differently.
I will define The Singularity as:
When technology becomes a controlling and inescapable force in the lives of many people
This may stretch the classical view of the singularity, but I say the classical view is outdated. We need to look at the concept of “The Singularity” differently.
The key difference here is that even though humanity as a whole is still in charge of these modern machines, Facebook has the power to turn its platform off if it REALLY wants to, large parts of the population can not turn the algorithms that control their lives off. Those uneducated about its methods or denied the means to learn, are often at the mercy of the algorithms we build. Just a survey of your everyday life shows work is found through…
