Singularity: Rose Colored Glasses Looking At A Glass Half Full

I wrote an update on my Facebook wall about Singularity last month. A friend of mine commented, asking if I was talking about some cool new thing for single people or about the technology/sci-fi concept. I was speaking about the latter. Last month’s NYTimes article, Merely Human? That’s So Yesterday, covers some of the latest developments in Singularity – a time, possibly just a couple decades from now, when a superior intelligence will dominate and life will take on an altered form that we can’t predict or comprehend in our current, limited state. Umm, what?

 
Ok, perhaps a more simple (and general) explanation would be, Singularity speaks of a future where vast advances in technology such as artificial intelligence, biotech’s, and robotics will provide solutions beyond what we can currently comprehend or imagine. For example, through the use of nanotechnology, computers as small as cells can be created and used to repair our body and heal ailments within our biological system. Or, as mentioned in the article, it will be possible to “resurrect” our loved ones who have passed away by combining computers with mementos and DNA. Natural disasters could such as tornados or hurricanes could possible by averted, saving millions of lives.
 
These concepts may sound out there, but Singularity scientists and its supporters believe it is within our lifetime that we will see these results. They boast of these advances as a way to create a utopian society and are not without criticism from religious groups that see the Singularity as a version of “Frankenstein” in which people play at being gods, and technologists who fear a runaway artificial intelligence that subjugates humans.
 
I, however, tend to side more with those who are in the middle of this concept’s merits. I studied computer engineering as an undergrad and so I understand how as a technologist we put on rosy colored glasses when new innovative breakthroughs occur. We want to change the world in positive ways. However, as a communication major in grad school, I’ve seen the other side – a lot of the time, new technology is used not to better society as a whole, but as a tool used to create a better ROI or bottom line. Not that this is entirely bad, but to not acknowledge who will (not might, but will) be the gatekeepers for Singularity is simply naive.
 
Yes, it may be cool to resurrect in some way Martin Luther King, Jr. But what about revered terrorists or say, Adolph Hitler? It may seem far fetched, but if we’re going to stretch our imagination to comprehend the possibilities that Singularity brings about, we have to consider both types of ramifications. Yes, advances in medical technology could help to solve horrible diseases such as cancer. However, who will access to those treatments? If our current health care system is any indication of how medical treatment is only for those who can afford it, we’re in for a larger dichotomy between the rich and the poor. Andrew Orlowski puts it best when he says “The Singularity is not the great vision for society that Lenin had or Milton Friedman might have. It is rich people building a lifeboat and getting off the ship.”
 
Perhaps I am being extremely cautious. I’d love to see what technology could do to improve society. I’ll be right there when these breakthroughs occur, excited and anxious. But, in my opinion Singularity’s promises are promising to be half filled if it looks to solely benefit humankind. I believe it’s coming, we just need to be educated and open minded to all of its possibilities.