Learning Ecosystems

From DSC:
Items re: The Singularity:

• The Singularity just got a lot closer — from Benzinga.com
  New tool by ai-one inc. allows programmers to build artificial intelligence into almost any software application.
  “…ai-one’s “biologically inspired intelligence” is a virtual brain that learns without human intervention.”
• Kurzweil Accelerating Intelligence — www.kurzweilai.net/
  … accelerating change articulated in Ray Kurzweil’s landmark books — notably The Age of Spiritual Machines and The Singularity is Near — and updates these …
• http://www.singularity.com/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity
• Michael Vassar and Michael Anissimov Talk About the Singularity on Supreme Master TV (12/27/10)
• Excerpt from The Illusion of Control in a Intelligence Amplification Singularity (7/1/11)
  From what I understand, we’re currently at a point in history where the importance of getting the Singularity right pretty much outweighs all other concerns, particularly because a negative Singularity is one of the existential threats which could wipe out all of humanity rather than “just” billions. The Singularity is the most extreme power discontinuity in history. A probable “winner takes all” effect means that after a hard takeoff (quick bootstrapping to superintelligence), humanity could be at the mercy of an unpleasant dictator or human-indifferent optimization process for eternity.
• IBM’s Watson | IBM’s Deep QA Project| Human vs. Machine

From DSC:

I don’t mean to suggest here that just because someone is pursuing the development of AI, robotics, etc. that their heart isn’t right — that’s just not accurate and such a perspective would be painting a broad and bogus swath across mankind.

But from some of the robotic and AI-related sites and blogs that I’ve seen (and not necessarily those listed above), I’m becoming a bit more skeptical of peoples’ motivations in this space, as many of these folks seem to be saying they can create better than God can.  Alternatively, some don’t believe in a Creator at all, and thus want to make themselves the ultimate creator.  When inventors, entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, military leaders, and other relevant parties have “hearts of flesh” that are compassionate, caring, and giving…these technologies can be very useful and beneficial.  But I’m more concerned if these types of technologies are warped into a pathway for power, personal gain, military applications, etc.

Also see:

• Last Look: War of the machines? — from cnn.com
• The DIY Terminator: Private Robot Armies And The Algorithm-Run Future Of War — from FastCompany.com by Greg Lindsay
  In the latest installment of the Butterfly Effect: Predator drones are just the start of unmanned, autonomous warfare technology. But as the tech becomes more democratized and more deadly, what happens when anyone can assemble an army of killing machines?