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Full Version: Economics Nobel Prize winner sees no singularity on the horizon
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https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/comp...e-alphabet

EXCERPT: . . . In a 2015 paper, Nordhaus reasoned that the Singularity would be necessarily preceded by ever greater technological progress that would accelerate the replacement of human labor by automation. More work would be accomplished with less labor, so the level of productivity would rise. But in actual fact, he noted, productivity has been in the doldrums for a long time, and there seems to be no systematic rise in unemployment.

True, he wrote that paper three years ago, and three years is a long time to the Singulatarians (yes, it’s a word). They argue that as machines become smarter, they’ll make it easier for engineers to design still smarter machines. The process will feed on itself until machines do all the research, and then, all at once, we’ll reach takeoff velocity. You might turn out the lights in the laboratory on Friday evening, then turn them back on again on Monday only to find a big surprise waiting for you there. But don’t hold your breath....

MORE: https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/comp...e-alphabet