Interview With Vernor Vinge (Part I)

February 29 2008 / by Alvis Brigis / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: Technology   Year: General   Rating: 13

In 1993 Vernor Vinge informed NASA and the rest of the world that we were all quite possibly on a crash-course with a technological singularity. This meme spread quickly through the ranks of futurists and tech intelligentsia and now, 15 years later, it appears on the verge of diffusing to the mainstream, where it will no doubt continue to challenge life-views and generate ice-cream headaches.

I had the good fortune to catch up with the Hugo Award winning sci-fi writer / mathematician for a MemeBox phone interview during which he filled me in on the impact the idea of the singularity has had on him and his hopes for the rest of us.

The following is an excerpt from that illuminating session:

MemeBox: To start, what do you mean by the Technological Singularity?

Vinge: It’s a term that all sorts of people have different takes on and use in different ways. My take on it is that it’s plausible that with technology we can, in the fairly near future, create or become creatures that surpass humans in every intellectual and creative dimension. Then events beyond that time would be as unimaginable to us ordinary humans as opera is to a flatworm.

MemeBox: How has the concept affected your writing?

Vinge: I’d like to say that science fiction writers are the first occupational group that was impacted by the Singularity, whether or not it actually happens. We are the first group that has been impacted because it is essentially impossible, ... a great challenge, as an ordinary human to write fiction about the Singularity, and especially afterwards, for people who are also ordinary humans.

MemeBox: When we talk about this notion of heading toward a singularity, why is this significant to humans right now? Why should someone strive to understand this?

Vinge: I think it has a lot of popularity right now because of the possibility that it could happen in the near historical future. Related to this is the process of going there, is addressing questions that humans have pondered and debated about since they began pondering and debating. And it is really remarkable to be in an era in which questions about consciousness, intelligence and creativity are all subject to a substantive form of research and discussion [unlike] before

MemeBox: How far out you can see? How would you quantify your own vision?

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Vernor Vinge says Singularity by 2030 Still Believable

October 25 2008 / by John Heylin / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: Other   Year: Beyond   Rating: 2

In the first talk of the day, Hugo Award-winning Science Fiction Author Vernor Vinge opens up by stating that achieving the Singularity by 2030 is still going to happen.

His conviction is very impressive. He states that the Singularity is still on track because Moore’s Law is still working. If technology continues to exponentially increase, 2030 is his best date.

What’s very interesting is that he made the statement that humans don’t create tools, we outsource our intellect into our environment. He goes on to explain that biometric modifications in a person will get to the point where our own intellect will barely be visible, only a “hand on a tiller” in the vast sea of humanity.

A running start to a long day.

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What's a Singularity? What's the Singularity Summit?

September 23 2008 / by Alvis Brigis / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: The Web   Year: 2008   Rating: 1

When seriously exploring the futures ahead of us it’s impossible not to encounter discussion of the “Singularity”. A concept with multiple profound meanings, the Singularity meme is an important tool for framing our understanding of how tomorrow will unfold.

Tyler Emerson, Executive Director of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence does a great job summarizing these various interpretations, all of which will be presented and debated at this year’s action-packed Singularity Summit (Oct 25th):

As Tyler points out, the Singularity has been picking up great traction in both scientific media and leading intellectual circles. Case in point is the involvement of forward-thinking juggernauts like Peter Thiel, Vernor Vinge, Peter Diamandis, Esther Dyson, Marvin Minsky, Justin Rattner and the infamous Ray Kurzweil, all of whom will be presenting at the Summit this October – an event that will be thoroughly covered by MemeBox and Future Blogger (proud media sponsors of the event).

For more information on the summit, go to SingularitySummit.com.

As an add-on to the summit, attendees will also have the option to attend an Emerging Tech Workshop (Oct 24th) organized by SciVestor, featuring panels on Robotics, the Semantic Web and Natotechnology, plus a closing keynote by seasoned foresight pro and Future Blogger favorite Jamais Cascio.

I will be there with my FlipCam reporting on the event for Future Blogger and hope to see you there as well. I promise you, the memetic rush will be akin to drinking water from a fire hose. It’s a great way to get a valuable crash course in accelerating change, artificial intelligence and a variety of disruptive forces poised to transform the world around us.

Disclaimer: MemeBox is a proud media sponsor of the Singularity Summit 2008. That being said, you really should attend.

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