technological singularity
nounUS /ˌtɛknəˈlɑd͡ʒɪkl̩ ˌsɪŋɡjəˈlɛɹɪti/ · UK /ˌtɛknəˈlɒd͡ʒɪkəl̩ ˌsɪŋɡjʊˈlæɹɪti/
Etymology Popularized by Vernor Vinge in 1993, by analogy to the gravitational singularity in black holes, where the conventional laws of science are thought to no longer apply, resulting in a breakdown of predictability.
1
A hypothetical future event in human history caused by the ever-increasing ability of new technology to speed up the rate at which new technology is developed.
- For the consequences for humanity, if a technological singularity did indeed occur, would be seismic. What are these potentially seismic consequences? What sort of world, what sort of universe, might come into being if a technological singularity does occur?2015, Murray Shanahan, The Technological Singularity, MIT Press, →ISBN, page xx:
- Related terms
- posthumanism, transhumanism, Omega Point