What is the Technological Singularity?
The Technological Singularity, or simply “Singularity,” is a multi-faceted concept in futurism with several overlapping and sometimes conflicting definitions. The most proper and prominent definition of the Singularity was given by Vernor Vinge in his essay, The Coming Technological Singularity. It refers to the point at which superhuman intelligence is created technologically. These superhuman intelligences could then apply their brainpower and expertise to the task of creating additional or more powerful superhuman intelligences, resulting in a snowball effect with consequences beyond our present ability to imagine. The term “Technological Singularity” was coined by analogy to the singularity in the center of a black hole, where the forces of nature become so intense and unpredictable that our ability to calculate the behavior of matter in these circumstances drops to zero. Often mentioned in conjunction with the idea of superhuman intelligence in Singularity dialogues is the notion
