The dangerous fantasies driving the quest for super-intelligent AI

In the famous Turing test, a human judge determines whether a machine and a person can be told apart on the basis of how they communicate. If the machine can fool the judge, then human specialness can be dismissed.

Light bulbs have energy ratings — so why can’t AI chatbots?

The test is not treated seriously in rigorous philosophy circles, but remains... See more

Becker is a fine chronicler and a valuable historian. He traces the roots of transhumanism — a movement advocating the use of technology to enhance human capabilities and surpass biological limits — to Christian theology. The possibility of human–machine hybrids has enabled outspoken atheists to imagine their own version of immortality, involving “... See more

Banning billionaires would thus be an indirect fix — the more enduring solution lies in reformulating how digital networks are shaping society.