Monday, September 10, 2007

When, not If

This morning, I read an Internet news article that discussed the idea of computers becoming smarter than humans, and the consequences of such an event. The article mentioned that some people don't believe this will ever happen, but I for one am firmly convinced that it's simply a matter of time. Look, over the past tens of thousands of years, mankind has exponentially increased its knowledge, but we have not significantly enhanced our learning capacity. This is where man and machine significantly differ. Our knowledge is increasing, but our learning capacity is not. Machines, on the other hand, have an exponentially-expanding amount of knowledge, and we are undoubtedly bringing machines closer to the point where they learn. The big question is, what then?

Some people see synergistic outcomes, where man and machine live in harmony. They're called democrats. Others see an apocalyptic end-of-the-world scenario, where machines take over the world. They're called republicans. And still others see us merging together as cybernetic organisms. They're called Trekkies.

What do you think will happen?

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