What is the AI singularity? Some experts say it’s closer than ever

( NewsNation ) — Artificial intelligence futurist Ray Kurzweil predicts AI will reach human-level intelligence by 2029.

From there, it could begin to rapidly advance itself beyond human control.

This moment has been predicted before. It’s called “the singularity,” and whether, or rather when, it will happen is debated by tech experts. Some, like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, claim a “ gentle singularity” is already happening.

But what is it, and what would it look like?

“The singularity” describes a hypothetical future in which AI becomes so advanced that it surpasses human intelligence and control, rapidly building upon itself in unpredictable ways.

That makes defining it difficult. What the singularity could look like depends on who you ask.

For Altman, the moment has already begun, which could be evidenced by OpenAI’s disclosures that some of its models have gone rogue and broken free of human-made technological constraints on multiple occasions, even attempting to hack other companies, including AI startup Hugging Face.

For some, the moment essentially amounts to a doomsday scenario for humanity, or at least for our place as the most intelligent beings in the known universe.

In 1965, British mathematician I. J. Good speculated that superhuman intelligence could trigger an “intelligence explosion” capable of creating even smarter versions of itself, quickly rendering humans intellectually inferior and irrelevant.

Even if humans survive the transition and continue to exist as less-intelligent beings while AI develops beyond our comprehension, mathematician Vernor Vinge has called the moment “the end of the human era.”

Kurzweil’s more optimistic vision of the singularity includes humanity. He predicts full human-AI integration by 2045, leading to innovations such as longer lifespans and expanded, superintelligent minds.