Critical Analysis: The Technological Singularity - CONL701 Report

This report delves into the multifaceted concept of the technological singularity (TS), examining its core features and potential impacts across various domains. The paper begins by introducing TS as a rapidly evolving field, highlighting exponential technological trends and the debate surrounding its implications. It explores the technological features of TS, including the rise of intelligent machines and the potential for accelerated advancements in AI. The report then examines the current, emerging, and future technologies driving the transition towards TS, while also addressing potential obstacles to its realization. Furthermore, the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the ethical, social, moral, legal, political, environmental, demographic, and economic impacts of TS. It concludes by acknowledging limitations and assumptions considered during the analysis, offering a critical perspective on the subject matter and its implications for the future.

The Technological Singularity
Name of the Student#,

Abstract— The concept regarding technological singularity is
enhancing with the passage of time. The discussion in this paper
primarily seeks towards addressing the major points in relation
to TS, while focusing on the essential features that are brought
about with the major impacts of TS and the ways in which this
technological shift is being focused upon. The following points in
this discussion also focus on the potential obstacles that would be
brought with TS and the ways of avoiding them. Further, a wide
consideration of aspects has been drawn over the different social
impacts that are being made with the impact of TS. This paper
concludes with understanding the limitations and assumptions
that have been considered during presenting the discussions.
Keywords— Technological singularity, autonomous,
demographic, GDP
I. INTRODUCTION
The technological field is progressing at a rapid pace and
with this there have been much kind of exponential trends that
have shown the rapid speed at which humans are progressing
towards the trend. With the wide growth of technological
systems, the steep of the exponential growth develops.
Humans are considered to be living at the edge of changes as
compared to the proliferation of human race on Earth [1]. In
the present times, there has been one conversation that has
been centred on the ever-progressing aspect of changes made
by technology in the human life.
The subject of technological singularity (TS) would also be
considered as a methodological debate. The discussion in this
paper would majorly focus on the different concepts in
relation to TS, the essential features that are supported with
TS while also discussing the different ways in which TS could
be conceived by futurists. While discussing the above aspects,
the present, emerging and future technologies that would drive
users towards TS have been discussed. Moreover, the
obstacles that could be focused for the adoption of TS have
been discussed. This paper would highlight the ethical, social,
moral, legal, environmental, economic and demographic
impact made by TS.
II. DISCUSSION
The concept of TS has gained tremendous interest among
the technological experts and it leads to a predicted possibility
for the mid-term future. TS could be used for describing the
transformation that could be noticeable because of a kind of
intersection that would be drawn between artificial
intelligence, technology and humans [3]. The aspect of
technological singularity could be defined as an era in which
human intelligence would transform to non-biological and
would also become trillion times robust. The idea of
technological singularity has majorly evolved and has been
modified over the years of research based on the complexity
of the subject. This term was initially coined by John von
Neumann in 1958 as a kind of technology that would be able
to lead towards a fundamental change in the life of humans.
A. Technological Features of Technological Singularity
The concept of TS dictates the fact that singularity would
be a leading factor for the growth of intelligent beings. The
machines would thus be able to create things that would be
unimaginable as well as intelligent. Although the technology
of TS is within its conceptual stages but it would be take a
certain number of years before individuals would be able to
reap the full benefits of the technology. With the
implementation of TS, it would also be able to accompany
speed improvements in which they would be compatible with
AIs [4]. Hence, this could be considered as another step that
would lead towards automation of human tasks.
Futurists have also established concepts that related to
improvements in post-singularity and the changes that would
be introduced towards intelligence and machine speed. This
can be discussed as a significant impact towards the
development and improvements in human history [5]. Further,
futurists would be able to conceive the technology by using
improved processing power, higher intelligence and accessible
memory limits based on their minds. The human minds could
be ported to some other form of hardware over which the
intelligence machine would perform their functionalities.
Thus, as per different predictions made by futurists, it can be
discussed that by 2020, the use of computer systems would be
made more robust and similar to the functioning of the human
brain. However, humans would be able to perform reverse-
engineering functions by the year 2029, which can also be
described as a major breakthrough within the aspect of TS [2].
It would further help in the development and progress in AI
while exploring new ideas in the form of mind uploading.
B. Current, Emerging and Future Technologies Driving
Towards TS
With the rapid proliferation of technology, there has been
much kind of exponential trends that have been added in
accordance to Moore’s Law [2]. This includes the aspect that
the number of computers that would be connected to the
Internet would increase. According to the analysis over
current and emerging technologies being used, it can be
discussed that technological developments brought in the field
of AI, cloud technologies; robotic systems and other
advancements have been forming a leading factor for the
human race towards servitude [6]. The computing systems
keep a track of all forms of human activity and complex
systems such as global and stock markets while also being
able to control the use of dangerous weapons. Additionally,
the impact of robotic systems has transformed the reality of
automation in replacement of jobs, which includes the fact of
construction of computer chips and manufacturing of
automobiles.
According to the futuristic impacts that could be made with
the help of technological impacts, it can be discussed that
machines would form a tendency to improve their standards
[7]. Based on the recent trends made by technological
progress, some of the future predictions that could be made in
relation to the technological progress by the year 2045 are:

1. The impact of flying cars in different cities would be
made by the year 2020.
2. Robots would be efficient for performing face
recognition and lip reading and these technologies would
become common to each household.
3. Domination of autonomous cars on the roads would be
made by 2026 [8].
4. 100% of the new generation of electricity would be
primarily be represented by wind and solar energy.
C. Obstacles for Preventing the Rise of TS
The current technological trends have led to the
understanding that humans have entered into the technological
arms for adopting the technological growth and progress that
are being made. In order to prevent the rise of TS, obstacles
would need to be created, which would only be possible with
the effort of the Government of various countries [10]. In
order to reduce the intensity of technological competition, the
governments should procure the method of taxes and public
procurement. The discussion on the obstacles that could be
used for preventing is discussed as:
1. The government should impose a certain tax rate on the
manufacturer groups who invent super-AI technological
systems. A high tax imposed rate would discourage certain
private firms and thus they would fear of losing their market
value within the state.
2. Public procurement defines the process in which
governments pay a certain amount of money to private
agencies and contract them for running services [9]. Thus, the
Governments would have the potential to impose certain
constraints on technical and AI suppliers for inventing some
new technologies.
D. A Wider Social Impact
With the proliferation of technology singularity in
developing countries and adoption of high number of
technological systems, some of the widespread aspects that
would need consideration are:
1. Social – The acceleration of technology would lead to
social problems based on the adoption rates by people. A
social strife might arise among people who would be deprived
of these technologies in developing countries [11]. They
would feel empowered and thus would be able to raise a
political voice.
2. Ethical – Based on the consideration of ethical impacts
being brought with the TS, it can be discussed that the system
would be able to bring in transparency in the ways in which
data is being generated and used. Other ethical impacts that
might arise are the rate of unemployment, which would rise in
the society [16]. It would also become a difficult aspect of
consideration to distribute the proper amount of wealth among
the machines and compensation rates.
3. Moral – These impacts relate to facts in which
information is collected, stored and used by various third party
operators. In the present times, different notions of privacy
with the growth of technological systems have risen. Based on
the moral impacts, it can be discussed that the privacy values
have been raised, which has further enhanced the ways of
information transfer between companies and individuals.
4. Legal – The legal impacts made by the occurrence of TS
is that it has allocated a certain form of ownership over the AI
system. Certain legal implications have been made with the
assessment of AI systems, which relate to the public and
governments. A certain assessment is also made over the laws
of copyright, which majorly affect the exploitation and use of
works [12]. Protection of rights for different individuals has
also been enhanced with the rise of technological singularity.
5. Political – With the happening of TS, certain impacts
made over political areas include the fact that government
might take certain strategies based on enhancing the use of
technologies. People who would have an enhanced technical
knowledge would be able to make better decisions within the
political atmosphere. Governments would have an enhanced
capability to protect the rights of citizens. However, another
side of this impact is that the government might raise a ban
over some technologies, which might pose threats towards the
national security.
6. Environmental – With the rapid rise of technological
singularity, some concerns in relation to extinction of human
race is considered to be the most critical concern [13]. With
the proliferation and reach of technological singularity in
every aspect of the human race, it can be discussed that
technology would enslave the human race without their prior
knowledge.
7. Demographic – Based on the impacts created by the rise
of technological singularity, it can be discussed that
demographic trends would be changing by a heavy margin.
These would further lead to changes in the economic growth
based on the effects in relation to the population structure and
its size. These would further be discussed as the changes
being brought by persons in the working age of 15 and 64.
Based on the age groups of people, the major use of
technology would depend [14]. Hence, demographic shifts
based on the impact of TS would lead to shifts in GDP
growth. On a further aspect, it can be discussed that age-based
changes brought in demographics would help in providing a
boost towards the growth of a country.
8. Economic – The growth in technological singularity
would lead the economy of a country towards their stable
nature. More form of abilities brought in with the impact of
technology would form a major source of wealth. The impact
of drone deliveries would help in ensuring that goods are
being delivered to customers and people within the shortest
possible time [15]. Some aspects related to bioengineering of

the human brain would lead to the change in the concept for
economic competition. There would also be a certain form of
societal shift while everyone would have a fair access to
growing technologies.
III. CONCLUSIONS
Based on the discussion within the above sections, it can be
concluded that the most ‘realistic’ working definition for TS
relates to a hypothetical moment in the time in which the
technological growth would radically be able to change the
human civilizations and their nature. The rising growth in
technological aspects would trigger some of evolution in
terms of intelligence in machines while linking the
innovations, generated ideas and trends that have been
brought in with the major changes. The understanding over
the current, emerging and future technologies that would drive
the human race towards singularity have led to understanding
and realization that many successes are taking place that are
being brought in by futurists.
This discussion has also led to the discussion about the
ways in which different technological impacts could be
brought in within the future to change the standards of living.
With the impact of TS, it can be concluded that computer
systems would become more powerful as the human brain.
There have also been predictions by futurists that reverse-
engineering of the human brain would also be a leading
breakthrough factor for exploring new ideas.
From the above discussions in the paper, the limitations
faced during research were based on understanding the
credibility of the sources from which the research was drawn.
However, the limitations that have been discussed in relation
to obstacles for leading towards the development of TS have
only been focused from the point of view of the government
of the affected countries. Some assumptions have been made
in the kind of futuristic progress over the areas of
technological singularity. However, some areas that were not
considered were in relation to research over the specific
algorithm improvements in the recent years that have led to
the proliferation of technological singularity.
REFERENCES
[1] A. Potapov, Technological Singularity: What Do We
Really Know?. Information, 9(4), p.82, 2018.
[2] T. Walsh, The singularity may never be near. AI
Magazine, 38(3), pp.58-62, 2017.
[3] B. Nicolescu, Technological Singularity: The Dark Side.
In Transdisciplinary Higher Education (pp. 155-161).
Springer, Cham, 2017.
[4] B. Alarie, The path of the law: Towards legal
singularity. University of Toronto Law Journal, 66(4),
pp.443-455, 2016.
[5] B. Nicolescu, The Dark Side of Technological
Singularity: New Barbarism. Cybernetics & Human
Knowing, 23(4), pp.77-83, 2016.
[6] L. Terec-Vlad, From Divine Transcendence to the
Artificial One. Challenges of the New
Technologies. Postmodern Openings, 6(1), pp.119-129,
2015.
[7] A. Tugui, D. Danciulescu and M.S. Subtirelu, The
Biological as a Double Limit for Artificial Intelligence:
Review and Futuristic Debate. International Journal of
Computers, Communications & Control, 14(2), 2019.
[8] T. Walsh, The singularity may never be near. AI
Magazine, 38(3), pp.58-62, 2017.
[9] M. Upchurch, Robots and AI at work: the prospects for
singularity. New Technology, Work and
Employment, 33(3), pp.205-218, 2018.
[10] J. Vallverdú, The emotional nature of post-cognitive
singularities. In The Technological Singularity (pp. 193-
208). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2017.
[11] M. Saner and W. Wallach, Technological
unemployment, AI, and workplace standardization: The
convergence argument. Journal of Evolution and
Technology, 25(1), pp.74-80, 2015.
[12] M. Upchurch, Robots and AI at work: the prospects for
singularity. New Technology, Work and
Employment, 33(3), pp.205-218, 2018.
[13] D.J. LePoire and T. Devezas, Near-Term Indications and
Models of a Singularity. In The 21st Century Singularity
and Global Futures (pp. 213-224). Springer, Cham,
2020.
[14] M. Saner and W. Wallach, Technological
unemployment, AI, and workplace standardization: The
convergence argument. Journal of Evolution and
Technology, 25(1), pp.74-80, 2015.
[15] M. Saner and W. Wallach, Technological
unemployment, AI, and workplace standardization: The
convergence argument. Journal of Evolution and
Technology, 25(1), pp.74-80, 2015.
[16] E. Burton, J. Goldsmith, S. Koenig, B. Kuipers, N.
Mattei and T. Walsh, Ethical considerations in artificial
intelligence courses. AI magazine, 38(2), pp.22-34, 2017.