Journeys to the Center of the Mind:
Singularity Summit 2011

By Calvin Barry Schwartz

What if the intelligence we create could create even greater intelligence? And do we want a smart alec computer in 20 years to clone itself into a smarter computer that passes us humans by and are we aware of all the possibilities when (not if) that happens?

These are the types of questions that anchored the sixth annual two-day scientific Singularity Summit in New York City, which typically attracts approximately 600 international scientists, technologists and businesspeople to hear 24 global intellects discuss the future.

Think about it: the computer in our cell phone today is a million times cheaper, a thousand times more powerful and a hundred thousand times smaller than a computer from 1965. The Singularity Summit keeps a hopeful but wary eye on the latest developments in science and technology and what it means for future of intelligence and even us here in Monmouth County. The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence is dedicated “to research and rational deliberation on the future of humanity and in particular the promise and perils of advanced artificial intelligence.”

The conference was rife with the most inventive theories proposed by leading experts. Author, inventor and known futurist Ray Kurzweil, who Forbes called “the ultimate thinking machine” and who has 17 honorary doctorates, spoke about brain biology merging with intelligent technology, already in early stages: IBM’s Watson, (best known from “Jeopardy”) is already using biologically inspired algorithms.

Watson’s “parents,” IBM scientists David Ferrucci and Dan Cerutti, explained how they watched Ken Jennings win 74 times in a row on “Jeopardy!” and thought how neat it would be to make a computer to beat him; hence, the birth of Watson. They envision one of the early uses of Watson for the medical field. Meanwhile, Jennings admitted he was bothered by losing to Watson, expressing that it had to do with sense of self, dehumanization, being threatened, yet it still infused him with a sense of wonder. In closing, Jennings said that when he was at IBM and preparing to challenge Watson on “Jeopardy!”, he thought his being there, “was an away game for humanity.”

An inescapably compelling theme was human longevity and regeneration. Sonia Arrison, a futurist at the Pacific Research Institute, believes that by attacking end-of-life diseases such as Alzheimer’s, medical advances could nearly double human life expectancy to 150 years. Relatedly, Dimitry Itskov (founder of the Russia 2045 social movement), explained bold plans to transplant a human brain into a new body in 15 years and putting human consciousness in a hologram-like body (avatar) in 35 years. physicist Alexander Wissner-Gross, triple major from MIT where he is a research affiliate) talked about anti-aging and a recent article on the potential of curing diabetes with a starvation diet. Stephen Badylak spoke about someday treating stroke patients by regenerating pieces of the functioning human brain.

Meanwhile, however, at a press conference after his lecture, Michael Shermer, publisher of Skeptic Magazine, said he was skeptical about supplements and exercise as tools for anti-aging.

And then there are those great minds with wish lists. Stephen Wolfram from Wolfram Research would like to make as much as possible of the world’s knowledge computable and accessible. He mentioned has has data on every keystroke that he’s typed for the last 20 years. In another session, Peter Theil, inventor of PayPal, would like people not to distrust or be uneasy with technology.

Physicist and NY Times bestselling author David Brin remarked during his question/answer segment that he’d like to see someone fund another clock, set up next to the National Debt clock, illuminating what our debt would be if we charged royalties for satellite communications, the internet and pharmaceutical research.

Even how we as a society hand down justice may change through science: biophysicist Christof Koch talked about measuring our consciousness (phi) with an equation. In the lobby with a small group attentively listening, he said that one day “we’ll even be able to see your dreams,” provoking thoughts about a whole new aspect to criminal justice and law enforcement, as well as psychological and psychiatric understanding.

Jason Silva, a filmmaker, futurist, founding producer and host for Current TV, the Emmy-winning youth oriented lifestyle cable network started by Al Gore, electrified the audience with his energetic imagination, asserting. “We need to give people goose bumps.”

Calvin Schwartz, from NJ Discover, was the ONLY New Jersey journalist or media representative from New Jersey  to cover Singularity Summit in October which drew 600 scientists and technologists from all over the world.  As he mentioned, “It was like cerebral nirvana hanging out in the press room and going one on one with some of the most incredible minds on the planet.”