The Singularity Is Near summary

Computers are evolving rapidly, especially as ever-shrinking silicon components improve their performance. But even silicon has its limitations.

Very thin silicon components leak electricity, and densely wired chips overheat, which lowers efficiency. To counter these problems, new technologies are already in the pipeline.

Sure, computers can work quickly and efficiently, yet most of us wouldn't necessarily think of a computer as intelligent. A computer lacks insight, social intelligence and consciousness.

But this won’t always be the case – and may change sooner than you think. Computer scientists today are exploring ways for computers to emulate what makes humans unique.

Over the centuries, the medical community has made significant breakthroughs in treating afflictions once thought incurable. Yet humans are still vulnerable to many deadly diseases and other maladies.

The good news is advances in robotics and nanotechnology over the next few decades will help people resist and even overcome physical afflictions.

Even though gene therapies have been talked about for decades, we still tend to think of our DNA as a fixed foundation of who we are – something that can’t change easily, or even at all.

But we’re discovering that this isn’t the case. Soon, gene therapy will become a commonplace intervention. One method would be using a simple virus to transfer genes into human cells.

Every day in the United States alone, 21 people die because of a lack of available donor organs.

In the near future, this will fortunately no longer be the case. We’ll be able to clone the organs we need to save lives. Therapeutic cloning has the potential to vastly improve transplantation medicine.

Retinal implants. Pacemakers. Cochlear implants. It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but we’re already on our way to becoming cyborgs.

Today plenty of people think nothing of hearing aids for the ear or lens implants for the eye. But these small adjustments are just the beginning. Around the year 2030, your body will be more non-biological than biological.

As developments in brain-computer interfaces improve, the boundaries between artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence will begin to blur.

Whether you want to enhance your brain with a memory chip, plug into a Matrix-style simulated reality or steer a car using only your thoughts, you’ll need a powerful brain-computer interface.

The future we’ve talked about may seem weird or scary – but it’s also amazing. Just think about all those nanobots coursing through your blood and brain! While not yet a reality, such concepts are still based in what we know and can comprehend.

Around 2045, however, the world will experience the “singularity.” Then things will really get weird.

Does the prospect of a singularity creep you out? Maybe even terrify you?