The Singularity Is Near

In Chapter 7, Kurzweil presents a theory of what it means to be a Singularitarian and addresses concerns about consciousness and transcendence. Kurzweil defines a Singularitarian as “someone who understands the Singularity and has reflected on its meaning for his or her own life” (370). Since Kurzweil was a teenager, he was preoccupied with the notion of where technology was headed and what it meant for him personally. Kurzweil finds his belief in the Singularity to be somewhat isolating. Other great thinkers of his time do not subscribe to his same beliefs. Discussions around the meaning and richness of life are usually centered on its shortness. Kurzweil suggests that Singularitarians have several considerations that define their identities.

Singularitarians recognize that there is a distinct possibility that they may live forever, and they take steps to preserve the limited biological body that they currently occupy. Kurzweil takes supplements and makes efforts to preserve his body so that he can increase his chances of immortality. He recognizes that his body is temporary and that future technology will allow him to overcome the challenges that his body provides. Singularitarians also highly value knowledge while recognizing that information is not the same thing as knowledge. Information represents the vast amounts of data available in the universe, but knowledge and intelligence are about the discovery and construction of patterns.

Kurzweil asserts that to be human is to be a pattern. He does not see this as a demeaning definition of humanity. Instead, he sees the preservation of patterns as the elimination of human tragedy. Singularitarians believe that the purpose of life is to move toward greater order, bringing humans in line with the greater purpose of the universe. Kurzweil returns once more to the power of ideas and their role as the embodiment of human intelligence. Ideas are humans’ greatest asset and worth preserving.

As Kurzweil considers questions of consciousness and humanity, he argues that the Singularity will not be a post-human world. Instead, it will perhaps be even more human than our current reality. The qualities that humans most admire in one another, such as the genius of thinkers like Einstein or Beethoven, are mere snapshots of the fleeting ability of the human mind. Nonbiological intelligence may preserve and expand upon these flashes of genius. By reaching beyond biology, humans have the ability to expand their intelligence into the universe. Kurzweil argues that humans must begin to accept artificial intelligence as being conscious. Although he admits there is no test that recognizes the consciousness of any individual and that human understanding of consciousness is based solely upon the expression of one another’s experiences, he argues that machine intelligence will hold its own emotional and spiritual experience of life. Since nonbiological entities are expansions of the human mind, there will be no distinction between humans and artificial intelligence. They will both be human and, therefore, will both be conscious. Their subjective experience will be no different from the subjective experience of any person—even if their sensory experience will differ.

Even though there may be no way of measuring consciousness, Kurzweil argues that it is imperative to recognize and accept the consciousness of nonbiological intelligence. It will become increasingly difficult to make the argument that AI is not intelligent, particularly when machine intelligence is able to debate its own experiences and feelings. Discussions around artificial consciousness may raise questions about human identity. Kurzweil returns once more to the idea that humans are patterns. These patterns are constantly evolving and changing. A person today is neither biologically nor emotionally identical to who they were a month ago. Machine intelligence represents another example of this evolution.

Kurzweil opens Chapter 8 with a list of startling titles, such as “Impress Your Enemies: How to Build Your Own Atomic Bomb From Readily Available Materials” (392). All the titles in the list are fake but—as Kurzweil explains—entirely possible. The title mentioned above, however, is real. In 2000, a teenage student created a model of an atomic bomb that was so strikingly real that it raised concerns with the FBI. The student explained that he had found all the instructions he needed to create an atomic bomb on the internet, although he lacked and had no intention of buying plutonium. In this chapter, Kurzweil addresses the many concerns about the evolution of genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics (GNR) in the future. While the internet presents a powerful research tool that can be used for good, it also holds destructive potential.

Kurzweil has been called a “technology optimist.” He is often placed on panels alongside researchers who cite the destructive powers of technological development. However, he advocates for caution and a full understanding of what these new technologies can do. For example, he agrees that gene sequences of pathogens should not be published on the internet. Kurzweil explains that it is imperative that we approach new technologies with thoughtfulness and vigilance:

Technology has always been a mixed blessing, bringing us benefits such as longer and healthier lifespans, freedom from physical and mental drudgery, and many novel creative possibilities on the one hand, while introducing new dangers (396).

Humans have already seen the destructive power of technology. The development of new weapons by Stalin and the use of trains during World War II represent the adverse of cultural progress. However, Kurzweil also argues that these threats presented by technology will not be enough to stop their advancement—humans must be prepared to see both the best and the worst of what advanced intelligence can do.

Kurzweil dismisses certain existential risks—such as the idea that humans are currently living in a simulation—and addresses the more practical risks of the possibilities of modern technology. Kurzweil believes that human influence over technology poses a greater risk than the existential concerns about why humans exist or whether they are living in a computer simulation. If this is a simulation, Kurzweil explains, it is so sophisticated that it is not worth questioning the reality of it. He also rejects the idea that a totalitarian approach will stall the evolution of machine intelligence. A transcendent future is inevitable. Kurzweil argues that humans must prepare defenses that will help to secure the use of technology for advancement rather than destruction. He also proposes that fundamentalism offers one of the greatest threats to misuse.