But in truth, its emergence will be dwarfed by the significance it will assume in the next twenty years. Now he examines the next step in this inexorable evolutionary process: the union of human and machine, in which the knowledge and skills embedded in our brains will be combined with the vastly greater capacity, speed, and knowledge-sharing ability of our creations. For this list, were looking at programs and experiments that show how alien, dangerous, or just downright creepy AI can be. The Singularity can fairly be said to have entered general public consciousness. In his classic The Age of Spiritual Machines, he argued that computers would soon rival the full range of human intelligence at its best. One of ’s Best Science Books of 2005Ī radical and optimistic view of the future course of human development from the bestselling author of How to Create a Mind and The Singularity is Nearer who Bill Gates calls “the best person I know at predicting the future of artificial intelligence”įor over three decades, Ray Kurzweil has been one of the most respected and provocative advocates of the role of technology in our future.Among St Louis Post-Dispatch’s Best Nonfiction Books of 2005.Language has a big role in this as well, and can re-shape an individual’s thinking based on what language they speak. This is because the mind and consciousness change based on experience, and makes each mind unique. One of CBS News’s Best Fall Books of 2005 Siri can never have consciousness, and a computer can never replicate a conscious mind. “A pleasure to read.” - The Wall Street Journal “Elaborate, smart and persuasive.” - The Boston Globe “Artfully envisions a breathtakingly better world.” - Los Angeles Times Synopsis: “Startling in scope and bravado.” -Janet Maslin, The New York Times

The singularity is nigh