Well, first off, the person who developed the concept of The Singularity was Vernor Vinge, in a 1993 paper. He extrapolated up on ideas first advanced by SF writer IJ Good. Kurzweil, though a smart man and skilled inventor, is following a well-trod path.
Secondly, let's talk about this AI nonsense. Vinge says that the singularity might occur near 2030, but I believe that he (and Kurzweil) are years off. There is NOTHING even remotely intelligent about AI currently. Yes, it is blindingly fast at recalling requested information, and a skilled prompt writer can summon what seem to be almost magical results. But AI simply can't think. It can't synthesize new, unique knowledge. It can't intuit something new. It can't play "what if" games, or do even the most basic of thought experiments, which are a most important tool for developing new ideas, theories, and modes of thought. And in a lot of cases (looking at YOU, Grok!), it can't even get what you ask for right. Currently, it may be useful in helping it's human partners see alternatives, and new patterns...but humans are still the only player at the table when it comes to actual thought.
Kurzweil is a promoter of pseudoscience.
Well, first off, the person who developed the concept of The Singularity was Vernor Vinge, in a 1993 paper. He extrapolated up on ideas first advanced by SF writer IJ Good. Kurzweil, though a smart man and skilled inventor, is following a well-trod path.
Secondly, let's talk about this AI nonsense. Vinge says that the singularity might occur near 2030, but I believe that he (and Kurzweil) are years off. There is NOTHING even remotely intelligent about AI currently. Yes, it is blindingly fast at recalling requested information, and a skilled prompt writer can summon what seem to be almost magical results. But AI simply can't think. It can't synthesize new, unique knowledge. It can't intuit something new. It can't play "what if" games, or do even the most basic of thought experiments, which are a most important tool for developing new ideas, theories, and modes of thought. And in a lot of cases (looking at YOU, Grok!), it can't even get what you ask for right. Currently, it may be useful in helping it's human partners see alternatives, and new patterns...but humans are still the only player at the table when it comes to actual thought.
And let's not even talk about consciousness...