LonCon panel partial transcript: A Singularity for the Rest of Us

[kaberett]

This is one where I got bored of everyone being white dudes and rapidly stopped typing.

A singularity for the rest of us

"The technological singularity, or simply the singularity, is a hypothetical moment in time when high technology will have advanced to the point of self-replicating so efficiently and rapidly towards ever-more sophistication that a superhuman intelligence will emerge beyond humanity's ability to control, thus radically changing modern civilization and perhaps even transforming human nature. [...] The term was popularized by science fiction writer Vernor Vinge, who argues that artificial intelligence, human biological enhancement, or brain-computer interfaces could be possible causes of the singularity.

Darusha Wehm interested in machine intelligence and post-humanism; disembodied/transbodied experience can amplify an invidiual's identification - how can removing the constraints of the body positively better express our identities? What does this mean for all aspects of our identity? Notes "national orientation" in a way that makes me pull a face, but did also mention species orientation. As a critical reader interested in tech use as tool of colonising - dominant culture uses it for lifestyle, imposes it on others.

Lettie Prell: consciousness and transhumanism - tantalising and disturbing prospect of super-intelligence, becoming more than we currently are; implications for destruction of culture (culture strongly based in somatic/haptic signalling) - what happens if we merge so much with our technology that those signals disappear? What will the new culture look like? WOW THIS IS BOLLOX.

Hannu Rajaniemi (... wow you are very very white): looking at previous incarnations of ideas associated with singularity, transhumanism, etc - C19 spiritualism.

Ibrahim Abbas (Saudi Arabia): cofounder of entity based in promoting SF culture. Has written three books, focussing on consciousness and consciousness transferal beyond the body and its physical limitations. Thin line between consciousness and intelligence is the area we play. Number of signals is area of interest?


Is the straight, white Western culture a problem wrt the singularity/transhumanism? Is the very topic Westernised?

I: no, but stereotyped: exposure leads to overall perception.

H: definitions-lawyering about what "singularity" means, wrt the point beyond which we cannot see/predict - not an endpoint. However - the word has become associated with greater-than-human intelligence and mind-uploading, which Kurzwellian definition traces "at least some of" its roots to SF/Bay Area, with ~mind-altering drugs~ and ~Eastern influence~ *facepalm*facepalm*facepalm*

L: Thinks about "haves and haves-nots". "We're going to augment and exploit the have-nots" vs "is the singularity only for the people who can afford to upload, etc"

D: difference between extant post- and trans-humanism "born out of Silicon Valley" (bunch of white guys, etc) (currently purview of the wealthy)

Break for definitions - post-humanism, trans-humanism, singularity. Darusha defines as:
singularity - point at which technology has changed in such a way that those pre-event could not possibly predict what would happen post-event (general definition not involving AI)
transhumanism - machine- or computer-augmentation of human existence, be it uploading or cyborgs or wevs
posthumanism - "fully transcended", no human body, "some other mode of consciousness"
I: singularity is a process - started with stick to get things from trees (not necessarily positive), but we rely on machines (oh dear "are we all going to become fat lazy boys like in Wall-E" NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.GIF)
L: singularity - many people mean humans merging with technology to cause a shift in culture, but she likes William Gibson because vision of not us going into the computer but the internet coming out into our perceived reality.

D: D: D: OH MY GOD THE MODERATOR IS ASKING FOR COUNTEREXAMPLES TO THE CLAIM THAT SFF IS ABOUT STRAIGHT WHITE WESTERN MEN

Darusha says "yes, OBVIOUSLY most stories about uploading come from the same place" FOR FUCK'S SAKE EXAMPLES OF THE THING NOT HAPPENING DON'T MEAN THAT THE GENERAL CASE DOESN'T EXIST

wow this is mostly just pissing me the fuck off I will listen to Darusha only I think

seriously why does a panel with this title have four white people of whom two are dudes on

why is it 60% dude

why

Comments

[nanila]

AUGGGHHH this is even worse than my first panel I didn't even think this was possible

THE HORROR

[geekosaur]

This is where I imagine a snarky story about the Singularity only being accessible to the non-privileged, and (being the Singularity) resists all attempts at coöption by privilege. Possibly by Clarke... the later version ("If any of you are still white, we can cure you.") instead of the "Servant Problem—Oriental Style" incarnation (how much privilege can you squeeze into an article title?).