Scientists speculate about the possibility of creating a superintelligence, smarter than humans, through artificial intelligence, brain-computer interface, or human genetic engineering. The most likely paths are AI and brain-computer interface, with concerns about the lack of moral sense and threat to humanity. Drug or genetic therapies are also possible but less radical. The emergence of superintelligence could happen by the mid-21st century.
A superintelligence is a theoretical entity that is smarter than a human being. Despite the implausibility of the idea, many scientists have not ruled out the possibility of creating a superintelligence before the turn of the 22nd century. Some researchers have even listed it as their career goal. Superintelligence speculations often involve scenarios where superintelligence continues to further improve its intelligence and capabilities. This event has been called a “singularity” by theorists.
Movies like The Matrix popularized the notion of superintelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the possible paths to superintelligence and perhaps the most talked about. With robotics as its ‘hands’ and computers as its ‘brain’, sophisticated artificial intelligence could think more thoughts and perform more actions than a human being could. This would prove especially true if AI could re-engineer its cognitive architecture, design and manufacture new robotics tools, and absorb more computing power. Many philosophers have expressed concern that such an entity might lack common moral sense and could be a threat to humanity.
Other possible paths to superintelligence could be human genetic engineering or the brain-computer interface. The brain-computer interface has improved to the point where mouse cursors and prosthetic arms can only be controlled by thoughts. Military organizations have invested a great deal of money in developing the technology. Eventually, scientists could create humans who could interface very closely with the internet, to the point where it would be hard to tell the difference between the two. This possibility was explored in the Ghost in the Shell film and series.
Human genetic engineering is probably the least likely path to superintelligence, because such research in humans is severely limited in most developed countries. This path would take longer to produce results. While a modification to an AI program or brain-computer interface might take only a few hours or days to test, a gene modification would take many years to test, the time it takes for the genetically engineered embryo to become an adult. For this reason, it is very likely that superintelligence will eventually emerge from artificial intelligence or brain-computer interface research, possibly by the mid-21st century.
Another possible route to superintelligence is the use of drug or genetic therapies to enhance the functioning of the human brain. These approaches are thought to be less radical than the brain-computer interface and therefore may have less power to truly increase intelligence. However, their less invasiveness could make the approach more socially acceptable for research and experimentation.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
