Ray Kurzweil: This is your future

[Still Waters]

Editor's note: Ray Kurzweil is one of the world's leading inventors, thinkers, and futurists, with a 30-year track record of accurate predictions. Called "the restless genius" by The Wall Street Journal and "the ultimate thinking machine" by Forbes magazine, Kurzweil was selected as one of the top entrepreneurs by Inc. magazine, which described him as the "rightful heir to Thomas Edison." Ray has written five national best-selling books. He is Director of Engineering at Google. Below are five ways he predicts our lives will change.

http://edition.cnn.c...life/index.html

[green_dude777]

I think his predictions in this article are fairly solid. Even the trolls that post on CNN don't have any notable rebukes to the predictions, just the tired "yeah, well they said we would have flying cars and jetpacks".

I'm kind of disappointed CNN didn't touch on his predictions for artificial intelligence. Kurzweil predicts we'll have the human brain fully mapped by the end of the 2020's, and soon will be able to create true artificial intelligence.

This would be the single biggest achievement in human history, in my opinion. If anyone is interested, look up information on his predicted 'singularity'. The condensed version is this; once we develop an artificial brain, it will learn continuously without degradation. Once it surpasses our human brains' capabilities, it will soon develop its own synthetic brain, which will outpace itself. After this point, human problem solving will not be needed, as these synthetic intelligences will have postulated, tested, and solved any hypothetical situation we could come up with.

I'm an optimist, so I think this would be a good thing for mankind. It would essentially free us all up to enjoy our time on earth as we please, instead of laboring. Others might envision a type of 'Terminator' or 'I Robot' scenarios, where the AIs enslave us.

Regardless, if you found this article interesting, definitely check out Kurzweil's 'Singularity' prediction.

[Calle]

i lovev he's idea's, really wounderfull & i hope he's 100% correct. but my plan of the future is completly diffrent O.o

[SHaYap]

Unless some idiot thinking that playing with 'that' little red button is a better idea for a better future ...

what we need is a Sting of this generation ...

~

How can I save my little boy

From Oppenheimer's deadly toy

There is no monopoly in common sense

On either side of the political fence

We share the same biology

Regardless of ideology

Believe me when I say to you

I hope the Russians love their children too

There is no historical precedent

To put the words in the mouth of the President

There's no such thing as a winnable war

It's a lie we don't believe anymore

~

~

[Frank Merton]

So we are to get AI by mapping and copying the brain rather than understanding it?

[green_dude777]

So we are to get AI by mapping and copying the brain rather than understanding it?

Well, I think after fully mapping the brain they assume they will understand it. You would have to check with someone familiar with neuroscience, it's not a field I know much about.