Comment by jimmytucson

What if human beings were physically connected to a growing network of perfectly organized facts and information? What if that network could even assist with basic logical reasoning tasks? Would that be enough to say we’ve reached the singularity?

It doesn’t seem like it now because our phones aren’t quite physically connected to our brains, and the internet is far from organized, but I’d venture to say we’re already pretty close. A more interesting question to me is whether this is really anything we want.

If human machines were infinitely intelligent then they would all agree. So you wouldn’t need more than one. Sure, the ultimate human might need 7 billion pairs of eyes but those eyes wouldn’t need any more brains than to fuel up and locomote. Furthermore any human-like tendency to doubt oneself or fall in love or “rock out” would be deemed useless and therefore overridden.

Understanding that the purpose of a human is to pass on genes, and that there’s little human or genes left in her, the ultimate human might therefore conclude that her sustenance only disrupts the purposes of organic life forms. Her next and final act would be to destroy herself.

This is how I see the end of humanity. Not in a violent clash between artificial and organic intellects, not in a symphony of mushroom clouds, but with the final flip of a switch, in cold, calculated resignation.