Editorial

The Singularity Is Coming
It may seem like science fiction, but some scientists and technologists predict that developments in their fields of expertise will soon overtake them.

Ethics of the Singularity
Creating a general artificial intelligence with intellectual capabilities similar to our own may well launch a technological singularity. This possibility is a key issue for the future of the AI community and of human society.

The Artilect War
Will massively intelligent machines replace human beings as the dominant species in the next few decades?

A Singularity Sceptic
The singularity is an intriguing mix of science and science fiction, innovation and gadgets, risk and fear, and prophecy and religion. How should we each relate to this fascinating stew of technological possibility, scientific promise and apocalyptic potential?

Can We Program Safe AI?
Tomorrow’s software will compute with meaning rather than just bits, and will be much more autonomous. But a thought experiment with a chess robot shows that we will also need to carefully include human values.

Technology’s Slippery Slope
The problems we face from technology and AI are not a point on the horizon – they are starting now – and the issue is not the technologies themselves but the inability of our current systems and ideologies to adapt to them ethically.

Barriers to Technology Development
For a technology to succeed, it has to prove its value, but many valuable technologies that could help society still fail.

An Introduction to Transhumanity
The transhuman marks the beginning of our evolution from human as we merge with machines.

A Rationalist Approach to Transhumanism and the Singularity
Even if it’s technically possible, is it ethical to pursue the transhumanist agenda? Would we still be “human” in a transhumanist world?

Substrate-Independent Minds
Our lives are a composite of actions and experiences, and our minds depend on our bodies and the environment – but do they have to?

Technology Conversion Meets Art
The convergence of multiple technologies could bring about a technological singularity. Such synergies are already playing out in artistic forms of life extension.