I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of Science and Art. (Had I not turned out to be an actor and composer, I sometimes think I might have been an astronomer .)
Great scientists always seem to have a touch of the artist inside of them, and similarly artists often think analytically, the way a scientist might. Especially when it comes to pushing the boundaries on what we think we know.
This article from Singularityhub.com is pretty mind-blowing in regard to just that. Ray Kurzweil (inventor, author, and artificial intelligence expert) has frequently made predictions on the progress of computers, and has often been dead on.
But his predictions for the NEXT 25 years, oscillate between awe-inspiring-ly imaginative and science-fiction/horror-movie like creepy.
Here’s a sampling from the article:
- By the 2020s, most diseases will go away as nanobots become smarter than current medical technology. Normal human eating can be replaced by nanosystems. The Turing test begins to be passable. Self-driving cars begin to take over the roads, and people won’t be allowed to drive on highways.
- By the 2030s, virtual reality will begin to feel 100% real. We will be able to upload our mind/consciousness by the end of the decade.
- By the 2040s, non-biological intelligence will be a billion times more capable than biological intelligence (a.k.a. us). Nanotech foglets will be able to make food out of thin air and create any object in physical world at a whim.
- By 2045, we will multiply our intelligence a billionfold by linking wirelessly from our neocortex to a synthetic neocortex in the cloud.
But the most important question that the article raises is this: If you are an entrepreneur, how are you going to capitalize on [these advances] when they happen? How will they affect your business?
I ask the same question for artists. How will we adapt our models of communication with the world based on advances in technology? What will it be like to literally be able to access the collective unconsciousness? What will our future subscriber-based audiences look like — a theatre full of AIs?
Even now we are facing a revolution of sorts as we strive to better communicate with people who are accustomed to accessing entertainment and information at their own speed and on their own schedules with the touch of a button.
One thing I think it worth pointing out, however: no matter how advanced our tools have become over the last few millennia, one thing that has stayed the same is human beings. So far, anyway.
Share your thoughts below about how artists can best access people as technology evolves.