[ExI] Jaron Lanier on AI and Singularity, not transhumanism

[Stefano Vaj]

On 10 August 2010 06:03, Aleksei Riikonen <aleksei at iki.fi> wrote:
> Not universally, no. The word "singularitarian", just like the word
> "singularity", has become very difficult to use in a sensible manner
> since these days people mean such a large variety of different things
> by it. Given this confusion, every time one uses the word, one
> essentially would need to proceed to explicitly cite what definition
> one is using.

Indeed.

My reluctance to employ the S word for my views derives from:
- some rapture-like undertones of Kurzweil-like versions of the idea,
especially those presenting the Singularity as an event which will
automagically happen no-matter-what, instead of presenting it as a
goal and a horizon towards which to strive;
- the "cool" attitude of some of us, perhaps not unrelated to the
previous point, according to which our main, if not only, concern
should be that of "steering" it, rather than fighting the stagnation
which our globalised culture has been suffering from for a while now.

Both things are in fact quite vulnerable to the ridicule easily
aspersed by individuals such Dale Carrico, and the second puts one in
a position dangerously bordering neoluddite positions.

-- 
Stefano Vaj