The Coming Technology Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era:

This article discusses more of the topic of Artificial Intelligence and the theory of singularity. It discusses the probability that there will in fact be AI though not necessarily possible within the next year or two. It discusses singularity in this respect that all we need to do is create an intelligence slightly superior to our own in order to create a super intelligent being. It will reprogram itself more efficiently over and over again until it is far more intelligent than we could ever become. The article then goes on to discuss the problem this may have for the human race as the human race cannot compete with this new being who is essentially now good at everything. All goods and services can be created better and more efficient by this new being and all of it’s products are superior to us and out of our control. The scariest aspect of this article is that we basically will make ourselves useless as a species and the only solution I see besides some fail-safe system discussed in the article is to become friends with the AI.

Are You Living In A Computer Simulation:

This very long mathematical article asks whether or not the life that we know is fake and really is just simulated by some sort of post human civilization. It also presents the simulation idea with the context of the human race actually wanting to live in a simulation. It is a very good ITGS topic in the sense that it relates to the issue of people in machines. Will we integrate ourselves so much into machines to the point that we would shed our physical bonds and live in a simulated environment?

Sure both subjects in the articles are completely outlandish, but I don’t necessarily think that it means its not possible. For instance if you were to tell people 20 years ago that you could connect to the internet anywhere in the country from you phone, they would call that an outlandish claim. However AI is a way more futuristic concept that has been discussed in fiction, which I believe makes it more outlandish than it seems. The simulation aspect is really hard to discuss in this way or at least the version of the theory in which we are already living in a simulation. I could see willingly being put into a simulation, as people presently try to find other ways to escape reality, drugs, alcohol, etc. Its an interesting question to pose, but I think it is completely outlandish to be completely be immersed in a simulation because we don’t know that much about the brain and if it is even compatible with this kind of system.

I agree with the statement discussing that the next logical step in terms of simulations is to immerse ourselves in them. As I discussed earlier with previous answer the small simulations we create ourselves even today (alcohol, drugs, MMORPG) all with the intent to escape reality. What better way to escape reality than to literally transfer yourself to a different alternate reality. I think this is where the quote (Technology is a way of organizing the universe so that man doesn't have to experience it.) really ties into the subject in the way that the point of a simulation in this case would to be not to experience the universe.

I believe that AI is a sentient being that is created in some sort of IT system. This AI is aware and can communicate to us, it does not necessarily have to be more intelligent than us but it must be intelligent. I think it could lead to singularity if it is more intelligent than us, or just slightly, giving it enough knowledge to be able to see the flaws in its systems that we cannot and fix them, becoming more complex than we could ever create at that moment in time. This also means that it is sort of not a natural method, more planned by us by creating it to be a higher intelligence.