Singularity Countdown

Intel Chief Technology Officer Justin Rattner predicts at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco that the Singularity will arrive by 2048. During his keynote address, he claims that Intel will be at the forefront, and the silicon in CMOS, aided by gallium, indium, and arsenide, will continue to carry us in that direction.

He further hinted at possible future directions of Intel into the programmable matter of claytronics atoms, or catoms, allowing for shape-shifting products such as cell phones that transform into a smaller size for easy storage. He claims that such a technology, like a reconfigurable model of a car, is visible on the horizon, only "a couple of years" away.

Bruce Klein, writing for The Singularity Summit Blog, tells us that the Intel CTO predicts Singularity by 2048. I'm glad, of course, that the idea is gaining some mainstream attention. But I can't help but notice the annoying stink of corporate sponsorship here.

I have no doubt that Intel will be at the forefront of the technological singularity. As will IBM, AT&T, Walmart, Coca-Cola, and probably every other Fortune 500. Corporate entities are well-suited to taking advantage of the benefits awaiting the post-human. And though they will make nicey-nicey during the run-up, I have no doubt they will leave humans to starve as they transform the solar system into a Matrioshka brain. Left to their own devices, based on past corporate history, the Singularity will make the current African food crisis look like an endless cornucopia of feasting for humans.

Nothing personal against Intel's CTO Justin Rattner; I'm sure he's a nice person, and I'm as excited as the next geek to hear about the cool new toys they continue to push. And I can't wait to hear what he has to say at the Singularity Summit 2008.

It's just that I'm a bit wary of letting corporations lead the way.

One hour of wages at a time, we are feeding our gluttonous corporations, preening them for their post-human existence. And I'm not depending on their benevolence and charity to bring us with them after they shed their need of a biosphere.