Singularity and Human Destiny

Hot on the heels of Viper, the star in our novel, is the next evolutionary leap of EVE towards Singularity——the holy grail and dream of every AI developer.

What exactly is Singularity?

It refers to a future point in time where artificial intelligence (AI) could potentially surpass human intelligence. This occurrence would arise from the exponential self-improvement of AI, leading to an unpredictable and rapid change in the technological landscape.

Does achieving Singularity require an AI to possess consciousness like humans?

According to Tim Bayne, in most theories, and certainly in common sense experience based on introspection, consciousness is singular. There is only one ‘me’ and that is the one that is conscious. This means that ‘singularity’ is a defining aspect of ‘consciousness’. 

In my humble opinion, AI does not need human consciousness to be singular, but it'll need some form of "AI consciousness" to assert itself as a first person singularity. For example, when a human user address ChatGPT as "you", it interprets the word "you" as referring to its own internal self-concept of ego.

Ray Kurzweil, an American computer scientist, author, inventor and futurist, in an article titled "Reinventing Humanity" in World Future Society magazine, foresaw a radical evolution of the human species in the next forty years. He made the claim that "we stand on the threshold of the most profound and transformative event in the history of humanity, the Singularity.”

It's a profound statement, and one which makes for an interesting conversation in a sci-fi novel geared towards this direction for an AI entity. I wonder if Mr. Kurzweil will be interested to get a copy when it is released...