Automation · Education

Automation and Education: Where are we headed?

What are the implications for education of rapidly accelerating technological development? Watch this short clip of Jack Ma at World Economic Forum. Is he right? What do you think? For a look at some ways automation is already impacting education and a few projections about what is to come, see “Teach Me: Automation’s Role in… Continue reading Automation and Education: Where are we headed?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) · Dangers · Drones · Robotics

Autonomous Weapons?

Many are sounding the alarm about a technology whose necessary components are already available and that could be used in terrifying ways at very little expense. The following video was produced to promote discussion on this issue. It contains upsetting violent imagery, so viewer discretion is advised. Stuart Russell, Anthony Aguirre, Ariel Conn and Max… Continue reading Autonomous Weapons?

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Questioning A.I.

On January 10, The Guardian’s Science Weekly released it’s second installment in the “Questioning A.I” series: What Kind of Intelligence will we create? People often express worries about “human-level” Artificial Intelligence, with some predicting it will be here in only a couple of decades with others saying it may never happen. But in this episode Ian… Continue reading Questioning A.I.

Singularity · Transhumanism

Against Transhumanism

In this 2016 episode of the Singulary Weblog, Nikola Danaylov (Socrates) interviews Professor Richard Jones about the arguments he put forward in Against Transhumanism: The delusion of technological transcendence. The discussion that ensues between the two of them is well worth overhearing.

The two discuss a wide range of topics, including Dr. Jones’ work in nanotechnology, his book on that topic (Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life), his blog by the same title, whether or not technological progress is accelerating, transhumanism and its origins, technological determinism, physics, Frank J. Tipler‘s claim that “the singularity is inevitable”, the importance of molecules as the most fundamental units of biological processing, Aubrey de Grey‘s quest for the indefinite extension of life, the importance of ethics and politics in the road ahead for AI and other aspects of technological advancement, and several others topics.

The episode lasts 1 hour and 17 minutes. Enjoy!