Singularity studies

Singularity studies is an academic field where study and research are conducted into the technological singularity, which might be attained by artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and other technologies and sciences, and it can also involve studying the social implications of such a singularity.

In this academic field, study and research are conducted across a broad array of terrains such as information science, robotics, social informatics, economics, philosophy, and ethics. The primary aim of the singularity studies is to gain an integrative understanding of the transformation of social systems occurring in tandem with the explosive evolution of AI and also the changes to be effected by such transformation in the view of humans, ethics, and legal systems.

 Characteristics of research 
Singularity studies extends beyond mere future predictions and offer an intellectual foundation for proactively designing and creating a desirable future. Principal research themes in this realm include:
 Ethics of AI;
 Social implications of technologies;
 Possibility of harmonious coexistence of humans and AI;
 Communication with AI; and
 Redesign of social systems.

 Technologists and academics 
 Vernor Vinge: Propounded the concept of singularity in 1993, making a massive impact on the academic and science-fiction spheres.Vinge, Vernor."The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era" , in Vision-21: Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering in the Era of Cyberspace, G. A. Landis, ed., NASA Publication CP-10129, pp. 11–22, 1993. - "There may be developed computers that are "awake" and superhumanly intelligent. (To date, there has been much controversy as to whether we can create human equivalence in a machine. But if the answer is 'yes, we can', then there is little doubt that beings more intelligent can be constructed shortly thereafter.)"
 Ray Kurzweil: Predicted the advent around 2045 of the technological singularity in his 2005 book The Singularity Is Near. 
 Nick Bostrom: Offered philosophical reflections on superintelligence and the risks posed by AI. He is the founding director of the now-dissolved Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford.

 Japan 
 Kento Sasano: A social informatician, AI educator, and inventor. He is the president of the Japan Society of Singularity Studies.

 Challenges and outlook 

Singularity studies is still evolving as an academic field, and quite a few challenges remain unresolved in regard to the systematization of their theories, research methods, and educational curricula. That said, in this day and age of accelerating technological and societal shifts, interdisciplinary approaches have gained in importance and are drawing much attention in the arenas of scholarly research, intercorporate collaboration, and policy planning.

References

Other websites


 Intelligence Explosion FAQ by the Machine Intelligence Research Institute
 The Coming Technological Singularity:How to Survive in the Post-Human Era (on Vernor Vinge's web site, retrieved Jul 2019)

Category:Academia
Category:Technology
Category:Intelligence
Category:Philosophy