The Singularity looms

Charting our course through AI, AGI and beyond

Mark Hazelby & Warren Hobden
September 29, 2023

Strap yourselves in, fellow explorers! We're in a time machine, journeying from the first whispered discussions of "Artificial Intelligence" in the 1950s to the tantalising and terrifying future that may await us—a phenomenon known as the singularity.

AI's humble roots to towering tree

Imagine a tiny seed planted in the 1950s; that seed—AI—has now grown into a gargantuan tree, its branches touching everything from our smartphones to space rovers. But remember, a tree still has roots and limits. Our current AI systems are specialised robots—extraordinary at their specific tasks but clueless outside their narrow domains.

AGI: the multi-talented actor on stage

Now, imagine a new kind of growth sprouting from our tree—a branch that can reach much farther. That’s AGI, or artificial general intelligence. While regular AI is like an actor skilled in one role, AGI is the star performer who can adapt to any role, understand context, and even improvise. It's the "actor" that could either steal the show in the most wondrous of ways or go off-script in a manner that puts us all at risk.

Experts weigh in

Geoffrey Hinton, the "Godfather of AI" recently said AGI could be here in as little as five years. His words serve as a wake-up call, underscoring the accelerating pace of advancements and the narrowing window for preparation.

The singularity: the point of no return

Here's where the singularity comes into play. It's the moment when AGI evolves into superintelligence, becoming so advanced that it can improve itself at an unimaginable speed.

An open letter, circulating in tech communities, urges for a pause in AI development beyond systems like GPT-4. The reason? To think deeply about the governance and ethics surrounding this trajectory. The consequence of ignoring the singularity? We become bit-part actors, or worse, written out of the script entirely.

This open letter isn't a cry of doomsday; it's a call for prudence. We need that pause to install safety measures before the curtain rises on the singularity. The rulebook for AI ethics and governance isn't just precautionary—it's essential. Ignoring the risks is like ignoring a lit match in a forest; the entire landscape could irrevocably change in a flash.

The future interplay: humans and robots

What does a future with AGI and potentially the singularity look like? Are we co-stars, stage managers, or merely spectators? These questions don't just beg our attention: they demand it. If AGI surpasses us in intelligence, what will become of our roles as the writers of history, or indeed, the authors of our own stories?

It's time we got AI-savvy

We can no longer afford to be passive consumers of AI technology, gobsmacked by every new gadget that comes our way. We must interrogate these systems, ask hard questions and demand transparency. We need to look beyond the headlines, question the algorithms and delve into discussions about the role of AI in society.

We must collectively decide how we want these technologies to shape our world. Ask yourself:

what kind of society do I want in the future?
how can AI fit into our human existence?

Support the call for a pause

As Geoffrey Hinton warns us, we may be on the cusp of creating "God-like AI." This makes the open letter calling for a temporary pause on AI development more timely than ever. The letter isn't advocating for halting progress; it's a plea for thoughtful, ethical development.

We can't view AI as a problem or opportunity for one nation alone. The challenges and benefits are global, requiring an international perspective. We urge policymakers, innovators, and citizens worldwide to band together for a global agreement on AI ethics and governance. The risks of fragmented policies could be catastrophic, leading to a world where AI systems play by different rules in different jurisdictions.

Let's get behind this initiative and ensure our policymakers take our concerns seriously. If we don't act now, we risk surrendering control to tech firms, much like what has happened with social media platforms in the past two decades.

As we step back into our time machine, we have an unfinished map and an incomplete script. While we can't predict the exact contours of the future, we do have control over the principles that guide us there. In our rush to witness the grand finale, let’s ensure we don't overlook the cues, miss our lines, or forget our roles. The theatre of life is too precious for that.