[extropy-chat] Singularity Summit at Stanford, 5/13 - RSVP now

[Eliezer S. Yudkowsky]

http://sss.stanford.edu/

If you wish to attend, RSVP swiftly.  Apparently seats are going fast.

------

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contacts:

Tyler Emerson
Singularity Institute
emerson at singinst dot org
650-353-6063

Todd Davies
Stanford University Symbolic Systems Program
tdavies at csli dot stanford dot edu
650-723-4091

Renee Blodgett
Blodgett Communications
617-620-9664
Renee at blodgettcomm dot com
(business press, bloggers)


Singularity Summit At Stanford Explores Future Of 'Superintelligence'


STANFORD, CA April 13, 2006 -- The Stanford University Symbolic Systems 
Program and the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence 
announced today the Singularity Summit at Stanford, a one-day event free 
to the public, to be held Saturday, May 13, 2006 at Stanford Memorial 
Auditorium, Stanford, California.

The event will bring together leading futurists and others to examine 
the implications of the "Singularity" -- a hypothesized creation of 
superintelligence as technology accelerates over the coming decades -- 
to address the profound implications of this radical and controversial 
scenario.

“The Singularity will be a future period during which the pace of 
technological change will be so rapid, its impact so deep, that human 
life will be irreversibly transformed," said Ray Kurzweil, keynote 
speaker and author of the best-selling The Singularity Is Near: When 
Humans Transcend Biology (Viking, 2005). "Based on models of technology 
development that I've used to forecast technological change successfully 
for more than 25 years, I believe computers will pass the Turing Test by 
2029, and by the 2040s our civilization will be billions of times more 
intelligent."

"Some regard the Singularity as a positive event and work to hasten its 
arrival, while others view it as unlikely, or even dangerous and 
undesirable," said Todd Davies, associate director of Stanford's 
Symbolic Systems Program. “The conference will bring together a range of 
thinkers about AI, nanotechnology, cognitive science, and related areas 
for a public discussion of these important questions about our future."	
Noted speakers at the event will also include cognitive scientist 
Douglas R. Hofstadter, author of the Pulitzer prize-winning Godel, 
Escher, Bach; nanotechnology pioneers K. Eric Drexler and Christine L. 
Peterson; science-fiction novelist Cory Doctorow; philosopher Nick 
Bostrom; futurist Max More; Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, research fellow of the 
Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence; Acceleration Studies 
Foundation president John Smart; PayPal founder and Clarium Capital 
Management president Peter Thiel; Steve Jurvetson, a Managing Director 
of Draper Fisher Jurvetson; and Sebastian Thrun, Stanford Artificial 
Intelligence Laboratory director and Project Lead of the Stanford Racing 
Team (DARPA Grand Challenge $2 million winner). In addition, author Bill 
McKibben will participate remotely from Maine via Teleportec, a two-way, 
life-size 3D display of the speaker.
The event will be moderated by Peter Thiel and Tyler Emerson, executive 
director of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence.

Among the issues to be addressed:

Bostrom: Will superintelligence help us reduce or eliminate existential 
risks, such as the risk that advanced nanotechnology will be used by 
humans in warfare or terrorism?

Doctorow: Will our technology serve us, or control us?

Drexler: Will productive nanosystems enable the development of more 
intricate and complex productive systems, creating a feedback loop that 
drives accelerating change?

Hofstadter: What is the likelihood of our being eclipsed by (or absorbed 
into) a vast computational network of superminds, in the course of the 
next few decades?

Kurzweil: Will the Singularity be a soft (gradual) or hard (rapid) take 
off and how will humans stay in control?

More: Will our emotional, social, psychological, ethical intelligence 
and self-awareness keep up with our expanding cognitive abilities?

Peterson: How can we safely bring humanity and the biosphere through the 
Singularity?

Thrun: Where does AI stand in comparison to human-level skills, in light 
of the recent autonomous robot race, the DARPA Grand Challenge?

Yudkowsky: How can we shape the intelligence explosion for the benefit 
of humanity?

The Singularity Summit is hosted by the Symbolic Systems Program at 
Stanford, and co-sponsored by Clarium Capital Management, 
KurzweilAI.net, MINE, the Singularity Institute for Artificial 
Intelligence, the Stanford Transhumanist Association, and United 
Therapeutics.

The free event will be held in Stanford Memorial Auditorium, 551 Serra 
Mall, Stanford, CA 94305. Seating is limited. Please RSVP to 
http://sss.stanford.edu/rsvptoday.  For further information: 
http://sss.stanford.edu or 650-353-6063.

About the Stanford University Symbolic Systems Program

The Symbolic Systems Program (http://symsys.stanford.edu) is an 
undergraduate and master's interdisciplinary program at Stanford, 
focusing on the relationships between people and computers. SSP's goal 
is to prepare students with the vocabulary, theoretical background, and 
technical skills to understand and participate in interdisciplinary 
research into questions about language, information, and intelligence -- 
both human and machine.

About Clarium Capital Management

Clarium Capital Management (http://www.clariumcapital.com) is a San 
Francisco-based global macro hedge fund, combining the diligence and 
prudence of an Old World investment firm with the energy and 
entrepreneurship of a Silicon Valley start-up. Clarium is a fortress in 
Greek mythology. Clarium's President and Chairman of the Investment 
committee is Peter Thiel, the former chairman, CEO, and co-founder of 
PayPal Inc., acquired by eBay Inc. for $1.5 billion in 2002. Driven by a 
contrarian bias, CCM pursues opportunities in four areas: currencies, 
commodities, distressed debt, and micro-cap public equities. CCM also 
selectively pursues private investments that show exceptional promise.

About KurzweilAI.net

Founded by Ray Kurzweil, KurzweilAI.net (http://kurzweilai.net) features 
more than 600 articles by big thinkers examining the convergence of 
accelerating revolutions in AI, nanotechnology, genetics, and other 
areas shaping the future of superintelligence. Its free 
Accelerating-Intelligence News daily newsletter tracks the latest news 
in these areas and its Mind-X forum allows for open discussion. 
KurzweilAI.net also manages singularity.com and fantastic-voyage.net, 
covering Kurzweil's recent two books.

About MINE

MINE (http://www.minesf.com) was founded with the philosophy that good 
design is good business, and that working smart beats working big. A 
multidisciplinary studio, MINE offers innovative and informed solutions 
as tools to support corporate, enterprise, and nonprofit organizations. 
Emphasizing intelligence-based design and sound strategic thinking, MINE 
seeks to create definitive, stand-out work that projects a unique 
position of leadership and promotes the highest standards of excellence.

About the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence

The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence 
(http://www.singinst.org) is a research and public interest institute 
for the advancement of three emerging research fields: beneficial 
artificial intelligence, the singularity, and global catastrophic risks 
associated with anticipated technologies. The Institute aims to develop 
and foster a community of highly gifted interdisciplinary researchers to 
accelerate these fields, and create the foundation needed to support 
this research community. The Institute’s main goal is to ensure the 
creation of beneficial AI.

About the Stanford Transhumanist Association

The Stanford Transhumanist Association 
(http://www.stanford.edu/group/transhumanism/blog) was founded in 2004 
by Michael Jin (President) and Yonah Berwaldt (Financial Officer), then 
freshmen. It is a working group dedicated to spreading awareness about 
the impact of emerging technologies on humanity. The group is a Student 
Chapter of the World Transhumanist Association, an international 
nonprofit membership organization advocating the ethical use of 
technology to expand human capacities.

About United Therapeutics

United Therapeutics (http://www.unither.com) is a biotechnology company 
focused on the development and commercialization of unique products for 
patients with chronic and life-threatening cardiovascular, cancer and 
infectious diseases. In these segments, United Therapeutics is actively 
developing four technology platforms: Prostacyclin Analogs, 
Immunotherapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies, Glycobiology, and Telemedicine.