I have the pleasure to introduce you The Path to Posthumanity.
"This is a nontechnical, 'popular' book, by AGIRI leader Dr. Ben Goertzel. It discusses a variety of topics in near-future science and technology, with a particular focus on computing and biotech. Artificial General Intelligence is a major theme of the book, but not the only one." You must read it!
Remember the classical Wired's wisdom: "Why the future doesn't need us?"
You must read this Bill Joy's essay!!! Read and think!!! The dangers are real and present.
"Our most powerful 21st-century technologies - robotics, genetic engineering, and nanotech - are threatening to make humans an endangered species."
Welcome to the 21st century, enjoy the Time's Visions of the 21st Century, a collection of essays, a food for your brain.
2039...The final day(s) of the human race..."A fictional but fairly realistic story describing the genesis of superintelligent, sentient AI and the final day(s) of the human race."
Artificial Intelligence: A Worst Case Scenario, by Ed Merta
Also see "The Artilect War", by Prof. Dr. Hugo de Garis
"The book's main idea is that this century's global politics will be dominated by the 'species dominance' issue. 21st century technologies will enable the building of artilects (artificial intellects, artificial intelligences, massively intelligent machines) with 1040 components, using reversible, heatless, 3D, molecular scale, self assembling, one bit per atom, nanoteched, quantum computers, which may dwarf human intelligence levels by a factor of trillions of trillions and more.
The question that will dominate global politics this century will be whether humanity should or should not build these artilects. Those in favor of building them have been called 'Cosmists' in this book, due to their 'cosmic' perspective. Those opposed to building them have been called 'Terrans', as in 'terra', the earth, which is their perspective. The Cosmists will want to build artilects, amongst other reasons, because to them it will be a religion, a scientist's religion that is compatible with modern scientific knowledge."
"It is worrying about the possibility of a gigadeath 'artilect war' between the Terrans and the Cosmists, based indirectly on my own brain building work, that keeps me awake at night."
I just have no words...
