What is singularity?
Singularity has become a buzzword in IT in the same way it gained prominence in physics, but this version will actually change our lives in a few years (Vance, 2010). To the techno-nerd elite like Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, it refers to a time not too far in the future when humans and technology will merge to create a new kind of life form, and the “university” they have funded to help make it happen.
Singularity science
The basic idea is that humans will no longer be constrained by their biological and temporal realities and technology will become sentient and creative, producing “personbots” that will live forever as digital realities. However, as with any new technology, until it physically exists and people begin to play with it, it is hard to predict what might result – good or bad.
Changemaker college
To realize the potential gains of their ideas, the leaders have started Singularity University, which runs a heavily over-subscribed masters program to introduce entrepreneurs to technological thought leaders. Peter H. Diamondis, a Singularity University spokesperson, believes in the power of setting ambitious goals and then funding large prizes to the first person to meet them. He wants the chosen few students to find ways to solve enormous human problems, “changing the lives of 1 billion people.”
Networking squared
As in most university settings, part of the value of the program is the chance to meet like-minded people and move into new ventures together once the course is over. To some, this only illustrates the widening “digital divide” between those who can access and manipulate high technology and those who cannot. Ensuring equity of opportunity in the brave new world, Singularity University and its supporters envision may well be the biggest problem that needs solving.
