Skip to main content

Singularity - Humanity on the Cusp of Achieving It?

 What is Singularity?

A singularity is a theoretical condition that could arrive in the near future when a synthesis of several powerful new technologies will radically change the realities in which we find ourselves in an unpredictable manner. 


The term "singularity" was first used in the context of technology by mathematician and computer scientist John von Neumann in the 1950s. However, it was popularised by futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil in his 1999 book "The Age of Spiritual Machines." 


In 2005 Ray Kurzweil further extended this concept and wrote in his book titled: "The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology". 
In his book, Ray Kurzweil defines the "singularity" as "a point in the future when technological progress becomes so rapid and profound, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilisation." He believes that the singularity will be triggered by the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is a type of AI that is as intelligent or more intelligent than humans. 

According to Kurzweil, the singularity is driven by three interconnected technological revolutions:
  • Genetics (Bio-Technology) 
  • Nanotechnology 
  • Artificial intelligence AI
Let's look at the progress in these 3 domains and how far we have come:

Following are some of the capabilities that are so ahead of our times that make me believe that we might be closer to the singularity from an AI perspective than what we were anticipating

  • Google's Bard, Gemini, BERT and T5 
  • Metas RoBERTa and XLM-R 
  • Tesla's Dojo enabled FSD
  • Microsoft's and Open AI's, ChatGPT 4 enabled Bing and Co-Pilot
  • XiaoIce and MT-DNN
  • Amazon's Alexa, and Bedrock
  • Apple's Siri
  • IBM's Watson Assistant and Project Debater
  • Rasa
  • Hugging Face
  • NVIDIA's Megatron and Triton 
  • SalesForce's Einstein
  • SAP's Conversational AI
Bsised The above transformative Natural Language Processing applications, there are many other free AI utilities that can effectively replicate human activities in many areas, including: 
  • DALL.E3: Creates realistic images and art from a description in natural language
  • FaceApp: The app generates highly realistic transformations of the human face
  • Talk To Books: You type a query or statement in the search box, and it discovers books related to that query
  • Magic Eraser: It allows you to remove any unwanted objects from your photo while extending the background
  • Replika: Allows you to create an AI personality and build a relationship with it
  • Elsa: Analyzes speech and acts as an English-speaking coach
  • Socratic: Helps students with their homework by providing educational resources
  • Character.AI: Users can create characters, including their personalities, and publish them to the community for others to interact with
  • Point E: Generates a 3D image based on the text written
  • Youper: Helps users deal with emotional struggles by presenting them with different psychological techniques
Another area where rapid technological advancements have taken place is in the field of robotics like Boston Dynamics robot's dancing, back-flipping and somersaulting. 
 Today Robots are used in almost every area of our lives, and these include: 

  • Manufacturing (Tesla) 
  • Healthcare Exploration and Science 
  • Mining 
  • Education 
  • Entertainment M
  • Military and Security and many more domains 
It is hard to find an industry where robots and automation are not playing a major role in its day-to-day operations. In short, the proliferation of AI in all aspects of our lives and is very difficult to find an area where AI has not taken big strides in replacing humans

--
Let's look at the advancements in the area of Bio-Technology 


Genetic advancements had the following events: 
 First Complete Sequence of the Human Genome: The Human Genome Project, completed in 2003, covered about 92% of the total human genome sequence. The final, complete human genome sequence was described in a set of six papers in the April 1, 2022, issue of Science. The benefits of sequencing the human genome include: 
  • Advancing our understanding of genetics
  • Identifying genetic predispositions
  • Personalised medicine
  • Advancing drug development, specifically, gene therapy
  • Improving diagnostic accuracy

The mRNA technology was invented in the 1960s by Hungarian biochemist Katalin Karikó and American biochemist Robert Langer. However, it was not until recently that mRNA technology has been able to be used to develop vaccines and therapeutics. It is a molecule that carries genetic information from DNA and delivers that to the ribosome (cell), where proteins are made. 

One of the main benefits of mRNA technology is that it is very fast and efficient. mRNA vaccines can be developed and produced much faster than traditional vaccines, which makes them ideal for responding to pandemics and other emerging threats. mRNA vaccines are also very safe and effective.
Another benefit of mRNA technology is that it can be used to develop vaccines and therapeutics for a wide range of diseases. These vaccines are already being used to protect against COVID-19, and therapeutics are being developed to treat cancer, infectious diseases, and other conditions. 

Here are some specific examples of how mRNA technology is being used:

  • COVID-19 vaccines: The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are both mRNA vaccines. These vaccines have been shown to be very safe and effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalisation, and death from COVID-19. 
  • Cancer vaccines: mRNA vaccines are being developed to treat a variety of cancers, including melanoma, lung cancer, and pancreatic cancer. These vaccines work by teaching the immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells.
  • Infectious disease vaccines: mRNA vaccines are also being developed to protect against other infectious diseases, such as HIV, malaria, and Zika virus. 
  •  Therapeutic vaccines: mRNA vaccines are being developed to treat a variety of conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis. These vaccines work by teaching the immune system to repair damaged cells or to remove harmful substances from the body.


CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) has developed Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, a ground-breaking technology capable of precisely and effectively modifying genes. The CRISPR-associated (CAS) endonuclease, Cas9, operates as a "molecular scissors" by cutting DNA at a specific site designated by guide RNA. The impact of CRISPR/Cas9 on biomedical research is transformative, and it has the potential to pave the way for unprecedented medical advancements.
Some examples are
  • Treating sickle cell anemia
  • Preventing cancer, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing has been used to prevent cancer in mice. In a study, researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing to disable a gene that is involved in cancer development. The mice that received the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing treatment were less likely to develop cancer than the mice that did not receive the treatment.
  • Improving crop yields

Precision Medicine or Personalised Medicine is an emerging field in healthcare that integrates the use of genomics, big data analytics, and population health. Recent advancements in genetics have enabled medical treatments to be customized according to a person's unique genetic makeup, leading to improved effectiveness and safety of treatments. The main difference between conventional approaches to complex health conditions and precision medicine is the greater emphasis on genetic data to determine specific treatment options. Gene therapy is a technique that employs genes to prevent, treat, or cure a disease. Recent progress in gene therapy has demonstrated potential in treating genetic disorders by introducing healthy genes into a patient's cells to replace defective ones. Gene therapy is also utilized as a treatment for certain illnesses to target defective cells such as cancer cells and disable their functioning, providing a viable treatment option.

Epigenetics: Epigenetics explores how the environment affects gene function. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are reversible and modify how the body reads DNA. Scientists are studying the role of epigenetic modifications in diseases like cancer and developing epigenetic therapies. 

--
Let's look at the advancements in the area of Nano-Technology 

The term "nanotechnology" was first used by Japanese scientist Norio Taniguchi in 1974. However, the concept of nanotechnology has been around for much longer. For example, Richard Feynman's famous 1959 lecture "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom" is considered to be one of the founding documents of nanotechnology.
Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on an atomic and molecular scale. It is a rapidly developing field with a wide range of potential applications in many different industries. Nanotechnology is already being used in a variety of industries, including:
  • Healthcare: Nanotechnology is being used to develop new drugs and therapies, diagnostic tools, and medical devices. For example, nanoparticles can be used to deliver drugs directly to diseased cells, which can improve the effectiveness of the drugs and reduce side effects.
    • Electronics: Nanotechnology is being used to develop new electronic devices that are smaller, faster, and more efficient than current devices. For example, carbon nanotubes can be used to make transistors that are much smaller and faster than silicon transistors.
  • Energy: Nanotechnology is being used to develop new energy sources and storage devices. For example, nanomaterials can be used to make solar cells that are more efficient and less expensive than current solar cells.
  • Environmental science: Nanotechnology is being used to develop new ways to clean up pollution and protect the environment. For example, nanomaterials can be used to remove pollutants from water and air.
  • Food and agriculture: Nanotechnology is being used to develop new ways to produce and process food, and to improve the nutritional value of food. For example, nanomaterials can be used to make food packaging that is more effective at preserving food and preventing foodborne illness.

Here are some specific examples of how nanotechnology is being used in different industries:

  • Healthcare:
    • Nanoparticles are being used to deliver drugs directly to cancer cells, which can improve the effectiveness of the drugs and reduce side effects.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new diagnostic tools, such as blood tests that can detect cancer and other diseases early on.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new medical devices, such as artificial implants that are more durable and less likely to be rejected by the body.
  • Electronics:
    • Carbon nanotubes are being used to make transistors that are much smaller and faster than silicon transistors. Today TSMC has made a 3nm chip and is working on 2nm.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new types of batteries that are more efficient and have a longer lifespan than current batteries.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new types of displays that are brighter, more energy-efficient, and have higher resolution than current displays.
  • Energy:
    • Nanomaterials are being used to make solar cells that are more efficient and less expensive than current solar cells.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new types of fuel cells that are more efficient and produce less pollution than current fuel cells.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new types of batteries that can store more energy than current batteries.
    • It is used in plasma-based tools in the recovery of oil and gas. These plasma processes are also used in additive manufacturing and 3D printing
  • Environmental science:
    • Nanomaterials are being used to remove pollutants from water and air.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new ways to clean up oil spills and other environmental disasters.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new ways to reduce the environmental impact of industrial processes.
  • Food and agriculture:
    • Nanomaterials are being used to make food packaging that is more effective at preserving food and preventing foodborne illness.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new ways to produce and process food, such as using nanomaterials to deliver nutrients to crops.
    • Nanotechnology is being used to develop new ways to improve the nutritional value of food, such as using nanomaterials to encapsulate vitamins and minerals so that they are better absorbed by the body.

To summarise, the pace of technological advancement is so rapid that it surpasses human capabilities. It won't be long until singularity is achieved. Businesses that resist or fail to adapt to this change will likely struggle to survive in the future, similar to the impact that Digital transformation has had on industries such as Media, IT Software and Services, Banking, and Telecom.

That being said, businesses that have adopted or are currently undergoing technological transformation will enjoy advantages similar to those of Tesla (Auto), Apple (consumer and personalized devices), Amazon (Retail), and Google (Digital Advertising).

Technology is advancing rapidly and its economic impact is still to be fully experienced. The changes required to the economic model cannot be achieved using the current framework for economy and policy management.




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment