Two paths to the digital singularity involve the evolution of non-human entities: hardware and software. On the hardware side, a robot has now been taught how to make more robots, see which ones are improvements, and make more, and repeat. The purpose is progress in developing better robots for tasks that help humans, but the worry is that the process can get out of control. We’re probably not there yet, but enough sci-fi scenarios are based on such a process running away that some are worried. Fortunately, hardware upgrades are easier to track because they take longer, and are therefore easier to control. Software upgrades could happen much more quickly and surreptitiously, but that’s another story.
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“The End Is Nigh” – Quartz
Pretending Not To Panic 