16 AI and the Technological Singularity: A History of a Big Idea and Why It Matters
Abstract
The idea of a technological singularity—that is, the idea that advances in artificial intelligence will lead to machines that surpass human cognitive abilities and get smarter at an accelerating rate resulting in an ‘intelligence explosion’—has a metaphorical origin in mathematics and physics and was fleshed out in the computer sciences, social sciences and humanities in the second half of the 20th century. This chapter elaborates on the history of the concept and identifies the elements common to the most influential proponents of singularity hypotheses. Following an evaluation of the prospects for a singularity-like event occurring ...
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