[Wiflewood]

http://news.bbc.co.u...cas/7248875.stm

Discuss.

[Someone Else]

We were supposed to have flying cars by now, too.

[Eugine]

Very interesting read. Ray Kurzweil technological singularity theory is really fascinating, but honestly I believe he is being too optimistic with his predictions.

[Folcon]

I think the idea is cool. it would make video gaming more emersive and interactive.

[Toasty]

This isn't exactly a smart move. This way, people won't even need to learn or go to school. The smart people and the dumb people will all become equally intelligent, and the lazy won't even have to do anything anymore. People are too willing to just let someone or something else do the work for them. There's a point where things go from convinient, to dominant. If we have nanobots in our brains that can throw us into VR at any moment, then people can hack into them and basically knock us out. Hackers can just hack into security guards, and throw them into VR to knock them out. Robbery would be far easier to pull off.

That's not to say I don't find this interesting, I just think it's a bad idea.

[Folcon]

But the medical aspects of it are great. With nanobots, point surgy could be done on tumers, and fight desease.

[Eugine]

Also create. If humans are sotware based we will be susceptible to computer viruses.

[Lightning Star]

I agree with Toasty, and Look! someone made a song about it!

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find........

In the year 3535
Ain't gonna need to tell the truth, tell no lies
Everything you think, do, or say
Is in the pill you took today

In the year 4545
Ain't gonna need your teeth, won't need your eyes
You won't find a thing to chew
Nobody's gonna look at you

In the year 5555
Your arms are hanging limp at your sides
Your legs got nothing to do
Some machine, doing that for you

In the year 6565
Ain't gonna need no husband, won't need no wife
You'll pick your son, pick your daughter too
From the bottom of a long glass tube

In the year 7510
If God's a comin' he ought to make it by then
Maybe he'll look around himself and say
``Guess it's time for the Judgement day''

In the year 8510
God's gonna shake his mighty head
He'll either say ``I'm pleased where man has been''
Or tear it down and start again

In the year 9595
I'm kinda wondering if man's gonna be alive
He's taken everything this old earth can give
And he ain't put back nothing...

Now it's been 10,000 years
Man has cried a billion tears
For what he never knew
Now man's reign is through
But through the eternal night
The twinkling of starlight
So very far away
Maybe it's only yesterday...

In the year 2525
If man is still alive
If woman can survive
They may find.......

(Zager and Evans)

That's true. I don't life to become so automatic that the only thing we have to do is nothing. We're dangerously close to replacing the human with a machine, that I often wonder how much more advanced can we get? Being the most sophisticated life form, it's almost silly that we're trying to replace ourselves with things even more advanced, yet easily broken and controlled. (as in, being controlled by evil dudes who want to take over the world.)

I think that if we were to stop technological progress today, and go on living having to work a little for what we do, then that would be fine. I don't want a machine to do everything for me; that would get boring. I dunno, I'm not making much sense, am I? :o

[Golden Legacy]

As exciting the prospect of AI finally matching, and surpassing, human intelligence is (especially for the technology industry and medical advancements), I wouldn't want life to become so mechanical and "lifeless". Our lives as they are, are already dominated with technology and relying on it so much. Why fully remove ourselves completely from humanity by allowing this to happen?

I'm wary of it. I see the possibilities and potential, but I also see humans losing more and more of what we are - emotionally and morally.

[Caael]

escout, on Feb 17 2008, 09:11 PM, said:

I think the idea is cool. it would make video gaming more emersive and interactive.

That's the first thing you thought of?

And WD, I heard 2040 for flying cars.


I dont see why this is even important. When robots start thinking like humans they start acting like humans doing irrational things. It's better when we're in control of what they do. Sounds stupid, but we dont want to be taken over by robots.

[Eugine]

lolz Caael, I had the same reaction when I read escout's post.

[Lightning Star]

Although, Humans can be incredibly stupid. That's why I'm afraid if we get robots that are modeled after human thinking and have more ability to destroy, we'll be in for some problems. The first thing they need to do is fix humans before they can start making robots.

Lord knows that if gigantic robots and smart houses don't kill us, our own stupidity will. :o

[Max]

As a budding computer scientist, engineer, and roboticist, I always have to laugh at these claims. Kurzweil is an interesting guy, but I have to wonder how he came up with and why he would put out such claims. The reality is that we will never achieve human-like AI through gradual evolution in current AI techniques. I believe it will take something revolutionary, and it is impossible to predict timetables for revolution.

For all of you worrying about becoming mechanical, I don't think that's a problem for our lifetime. And if life ever became that easy, we probably would cease to exist, and the machines would just run their own "civilization." But I think this is all just crazy sensationalism, though clearly the uninformed public goes for it hook, line, and sinker.

[Folcon]

That is why I'm trying to be practical about it and look at the good things. The possible medical benefits are huge. In theory, nanites might be able to repair tissue and allow disabled persons to walk again, and of a certainty help fight decease. It is also possible that they could be used in memory recollection, as a way to help Alzheimer's patients. Video gaming and perhaps a new form of computer interface are just other possibilities. If we don't develop this tech because of the fear of what might happen, than how do we advance. It would be just like with the DMCA. Because of it, it is illegal to enhance a network to boost performance because it could allow for easier illegal file sharing. It's a freaking chilling effect that keeps us from advancing.