Absolutely fascinating.

Tags for this video have been changed from 'TEDx, TEDxVancouver' to 'TEDx, TEDxVancouver, blomkamp, kurzweil, civilization, kardashev scale' - edited by gwiz665

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He makes allot of assuming that using all possible resources is the basis of everything. Our population is going to top out - our technologically advanced cultures already have negative population growth when you subtract immigration. And maybe we'll choose not to create a megalomaniacal AI. What else are we going to need the energy from a Dyson sphere for?

>> ^alizarin:
He makes allot of assuming that using all possible resources is the basis of everything. Our population is going to top out - our technologically advanced cultures already have negative population growth when you subtract immigration. And maybe we'll choose not to create a megalomaniacal AI. What else are we going to need the energy from a Dyson sphere for?


>> ^alizarin:
He makes allot of assuming that using all possible resources is the basis of everything. Our population is going to top out - our technologically advanced cultures already have negative population growth when you subtract immigration. And maybe we'll choose not to create a megalomaniacal AI. What else are we going to need the energy from a Dyson sphere for?


There's really not a lot of assuming here. Our current society practically worships the complete use of a resource as wastefully as possible. The conversion from crude oil to refined is only around 90% efficient. And yes, you are correct, most industrialized nations see a negative population growth. However, we are about 5 billion people over populated for our planet so that's not really a bad thing.

What will we need energy for? Who knows. Then again, 200 years ago did people think we'd need energy for tv's, electric cars, laptop computers, mobile phones, etc? Who knows what's next! We could need energy for bio-mechanical suits or propulsion of space ships. Maybe the power we need to create stable wormholes is the equivalent of all the energy we produce on earth today. Hell, the replicators you see on Star Trek TNG would require tremendous amounts of power without a storeroom of atoms to build from. With enough energy, we can just build our own atoms. Teleportation would require tremendous amounts of energy if possible.

Basically, we don't know what we'll need energy for, all we know is we'll need more of it. All we can say is following current trends that in 100 or 200 or more years we'll need a LOT more power than we need today.

Yeah, Carl Sagan made the same exact point in the 70's, but only took about 3 sentences.

...and you cannot turn every single piece of matter into a computer or "thinking matter". He should look up the definition of a semiconductor. Even if AI becomes smarter than humans, they can't change the physics that govern the universe.

>> ^alizarin:
...

You make the error of thinking "SkyNet".

We, as in you and me and every one of our children, are NOT dying out..

We, as in biological humans, ARE..

Not in the sense of genocide, but plain old fashioned extinction.

We are already replacing our bones and heart valves and such for artificial ones, and soon entire limbs.

It's only a matter of time until the entire body and biological genetic material is replaced.

All WE are, we as in our individuality and intellect, is just data.. information in a container made of the flesh of our forefathers.

In the future when resources are running thin, it is not only a way of life - it's the only way of life.. biological life is horribly expensive.

Today my heart.
Tomorrow my brain.
The day after tomorrow THE WORLD!
>> ^shole:
>> ^alizarin:
...

You make the error of thinking "SkyNet".
We, as in you and me and every one of our children, are NOT dying out..
We, as in biological humans, ARE..
Not in the sense of genocide, but plain old fashioned extinction.
We are already replacing our bones and heart valves and such for artificial ones, and soon entire limbs.
It's only a matter of time until the entire body and biological genetic material is replaced.
All WE are, we as in our individuality and intellect, is just data.. information in a container made of the flesh of our forefathers.
In the future when resources are running thin, it is not only a way of life - it's the only way of life.. biological life is horribly expensive.

I think what he is actually talking about is molecular nanotechnology - with that ability you can fit 1000 of todays mainframes into something the size of one of our cells... and if you can do that you can make bigger and bigger computers or groups of computers that assemble themselves and use up an entire planet, galaxy etc. Once you have molecular nanotechnology it's not science fiction. And yeah we've used more and more energy per person for the past 200 years, more energy in general for the past 10,000 as our population has grown and grown.

BUT... the point I was trying to make is just because we have done those things in our technological childhood doesn't mean we're destined to use up all the resources mindlessly or create something more powerful than ourselves that will do it even faster. We might find that as technology increases we're better able to take care of all of us, better educate all of us, and find that we're happiest when we have a moderate population, and efficient energy to study the universe and maintain that happy moderate population.

The way he talks he's predicting that it's our destiny to become the Borg based on this infinitesimal tiny amount of time we've had technology that only a small part of the planet actually even has access to. We might actually develop our enlightened side augmented by technology.

He's got an unusual accent... Boer-ish crossed with Vancouver West-End coffee shop vernacular.

Personally, I think Kurzweil's theories are the answer to why the sky isn't full of Dyson spheres. There's just no point in building such a large structure just to harness the power of a naturally occuring star.

When your entire civilization exists as information bouncing around inside a computer, you hardly need any real energy at all, because everything is so extremely efficient.

As for why SETI can't find anything, I'm pretty sure it's because we're looking for radio signals, which are probably just a transitional technology -- they're fine for a civilization limited to a single planet, but even a civilization spread throughout a solar system would really want something that could cheat the light speed limit.

Or maybe we're really God's chosen people, and the only sentient beings around, which makes our reckless abuse of our only home planet seem all the more depressing.

Radio-based SETI is grounded in the hope that an advanced civilization would intentionally broadcast on a radio frequency for the benefit of lesser developed civilizations such as ours. It's a naive paternalistic fantasy if you look at it a certain way. But I think it's invaluable even as a species-wide gesture of hope. If I were some mega-billionaire I'd definitely fund an Ellie Arroway.

As for the concept of planets eventually being converted into massive brains, that's my own theory for the logical extent of the singularity as well. Unfortunately I believe at some point in the thousand year process the earth-brain becomes rather indifferent to our continued existence. We're like an enzyme. Maybe a healhy earth-brain is mindful of its enzymes.

Nothing he says is new information. He is simply repeating things that Ray Kurzweil and Michio Kaku have been saying for many years. Both of their theories and futurist outlooks are supported by a lot of science.

Go read The Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil

We aren't going to be 'the borg' we will actually be far more advanced. Our nonbiological humanity will have the option to look completely human if we wish using nanotechnology. We will be more like T1000s from the Terminator. Anyone will be able to look like anything.

I'm not so crazy about all that. A nice talk, yes. Nice ideas too. Just a little too...certain for me. All of this is based on our current understanding of how the Universe works. It's a distinct possibility that real AI is unachievable.

These are interesting theories about the future of mankind. But I would never hold my breath for the human race to give up their traditions and beliefs systems, not too mention power, profit ie capitalism to enjoy a knowledge-based transcendence into the universe. And I doubt many would be comfortable with handing over control to any sort of AI system - self-aware or not.

I really hope we are able to get off this planet and accelerate our search into the universe. We may be in luck with that new plasma engine that could take 8-9 days to reach Mars. But we will need to send someone up there first which will take a year, I think? And then send resources and continue planet hopping that way until we actually have some sort of efficient technology for exploring. Why we haven't begun colonizing is beyond me. We can fantasize about humankind evolving and what may be out their but we still have many minuscule steps to take before we reach the real stairwell that will lead us anywhere at all.

I honestly think we'll be eradicated before we ever take the minuscule steps needed. It's a pity that the hive-minded Formicidae colonies are probably exploring space without even recognizing it's magnificence.