Putting the
Human Back Into
the Post-Human

If I Can’t Dance, I
Don’t Want to be
Part of Your
Singularity
Some Meandering Thoughts by Jamais Cascio

What is the Singularity?
A disproportionate increase in the
power of intelligence to achieve
desired ends, including further
boosting the power of intelligence.

Within thirty years, we
will have the
technological means to
create superhuman
intelligence. Shortly after,
the human era will be
ended.

Within thirty years, we
will have the
technological means to
create superhuman
intelligence. Shortly after,
the human era will be
ended.
–Vernor Vinge, 1993

The Singularity story echoes two very old
tropes in popular mythology, but with a
more recent twist.

HUBRIS.
We make
things that
try to kill us.

ASPIRATION TO
HUMANITY.
We make
things that
want to be
like us.

The twist? Transcendence.

The Singularity Story
(in five slides)

we create AI

The AI “wakes up”

The AI makes itself smarter

The AI makes itself much smarter

The AI takes over
It might be friendly It might be unfriendly
(not much we can do about it, either way)

(the end)

But what happens when you change the focus?

we create AI

we create AI
(but now the focus of the story is the “we”)

we create AI
(but now the focus of the story is the “we”)
OK, what “we”?
Are there competing projects?
Is this secret? Public? Civilian? Military?
Open Source?
How do governments react?
How do markets react?
How do citizens react?
What are we doing in the meantime?

not the end

What’s Pushing Us to Do This?
Technological capacity
Competition (markets & politics)
Need for complex systems
to grapple with complex problems
Curiosity

What Might Hold Us Back?
Dead-end technology paths
Regulations
Backlash against AI
(or related technologies)
Fear

COMPLICATION
#1: RESPONSIBILITY
CREATION HAS
CONSEQUENCES

COMPLICATION
#2: POWER
POLITICS MATTERS

COMPLICATION
#3: LIABILITY
A NO-FAULT SINGULARITY?

COMPLICATION
#4: RIGHTS
NO SUCH THING AS A
HAPPY SLAVE OR AN
ETHICAL MASTER

COMPLICATION
#5: EMPATHY
DON’T KICK THE ROBOT

So… where does this all lead?

Scenarios!

Scenarios!
tool for collaboration vs tool for competition
short-term thinking vs long-term thinking

cascio@openthefuture.com
Twitter: @cascio