Mathematician John von Neumann spoke in the mid-1950s of “ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue.”
With our friend von Neumann’s quote as a backdrop, I was going to ask a lot of questions about the future to spur some thought. But being the future-originating person that I am (per this post), I decided that rather, I would provide Answers since I’ve noticed a distinct lack thereof lately – Truth-ful answers, anyway – on the subject of information technology as it furthers the development of strong artificial intelligence.
On second thought, I am just going to pose the questions and provide some snarky commentary on them. It’s no fun giving everything away. But maybe the tone of my questions and comments will provide some glimpses into the future for you (yes, we still like to toy with people in the future):
- Will IT eventually kill IT departments in companies? (How deliciously ironic)
- Will IT kill the need for human resources that do product development and testing? (Duh)
- Will IT kill the need for marketing human resources? (Maybe it will kill the entire need for marketing…)
- IT has already killed the need for manufacturing resources, just the design part is not automated. Will it be? (Duh again…see 2nd bullet above)
- What’s left? Art, music, literature (which are incidentally my gifts). Will these soon become “gifts” of everyone? ART is defined as the production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, words or other elements in a manner that cause a perceived isomorphism in a cognitive being – causes feeling of appreciation or causes one to imagine something else (Wait, why do we think AI couldn’t do this?!)
- Is it really AI or SI (super intelligence)? Maybe supper Intelligence – we’ll always know what will be for dinner. But I already have that: my wife (sorry, stupid comment. As you can see, I haven’t yet achieved SI)
- God (@theTweetofGod) once said while contemplating the possibility of AI overcoming human intelligence: “AI can never take the place of natural stupidity.” (How true. I don’t need to expand on any of God’s commentary, do I?)
- Can SI exist before the brain is 100% modeled? (What does a brain have to do with super intelligence? It is just human hardware for achieving some semblance of intelligence, albeit severely limited by emotion, bias and error)
- Are people of the future relevant? Obsolete? Are they central figures of society/economy in 100 years? If we are, nothing to worry about from a singularity POV. If we are not, what does this mean? What have we done? Who is doing what to us? With us? (My only comment here is that I’m from more than 100 years in the future. I’m still here. But…hmmm…am I human??? My parents will have to chime in on that one)
- What is the currency of the future? Ideas? Pleasure? Favors? (All of the above?)
- How is the transition to a new currency going to happen without billions dying? (Hmmm, maybe it won’t)
- Will currency even be necessary? i.e. production costs so cheap that everything is “free” (This could actually enable the new currency of ideas/pleasure/favors. Let me check my pockets…nope…no money. That must answer your question, or just speak to my current fiscal situation)
- Stability tends to occur without mass depopulation and with a lot of over-reaction and speculation leading up to it. Will this trend continue? (I’m quite unstable – does this answer your question?)
- What will be the source of motivation? (It took me 3 months to write this post…don’t look at me for this one)
- Turning point: software that can write software…in a language that humans don’t comprehend…that works better than anything humans can create (‘nuff said)
If you’ve read this far you are no doubt by now wondering how I have been able to transmit this future knowledge from my future brain (if that’s what you call it) into this current blog site.
That is a good question.
How smart of you.
Well if you’re so smart you can figure it out, can’t you smarty pants.
And if not, ask this guy
Or this guy: