The technological singularity occurs when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence and rapidly improves itself in a self-reinforcing cycle. As machines become smarter than humans, they take over technological development, advancing at an exponential pace that is difficult for humans to comprehend or predict. Each new generation of AI appears faster than the previous one. From this point on, the future is determined by machines rather than humans.

1. Kim Solez, MD

2. The technological singularity occurs as artificial
intelligences surpass human beings as the smartest
and most capable life forms on the Earth.
Technological development is taken over by the
machines, who can think, act and communicate so
quickly that normal humans cannot even comprehend
what is going on. The machines enter into a "runaway
reaction" of self-improvement cycles, with each new
generation of A.I.s appearing faster and faster. From
this point onwards, technological advancement is
explosive, under the control of the machines, and
thus cannot be accurately predicted (hence the term
"Singularity"). – Ray Kurzweil

4. Course conceptualized in
March 2011, tested with
focus groups in
May for its suitability as a
course for both
undergraduate and
graduate students.

5.  Ten minute introduction
 Fifty minute lecture
 Twenty minute discussion
 In the course we talk about
machines replacing many of the
functions of human beings. This
picture was taken by a machine
without human intervention, as
were many of the best still
images from the course. The
video camera is constantly
comparing the scene to
algorithms and takes still
pictures when the requirements
of the interesting picture
algorithm are satisfied.

6. First teaching session 2011 Recent teaching session 2012
Hot-linked tables of contents in YouTube video descriptions allow one
to jump right to content of interest.

7. Heather Graves, from Department
of English and Film Studies, in
Faculty of Arts.

9.  CCIS is on the other
side of campus for
many of us, but it is
good exercise to go
there and one often
has excellent company
making the trip!

10.  We endeavor to shoot broadcast quality video of
each lecture and discussion.
 Previous lectures on YouTube.com at
/user/KimSolez and /user/avoca99 . Students
are asked to critique one past lecture, and
suggest improvements in presentation and hot-
linked table of contents (20% of grade).
 Students write one 3,000 word paper (40%) and
give 20 min. presentation on same subject
(30%). Also graded on class participation (10%).
 No required reading. Suggested reading list
distributed by Email, is constantly updated.

11.  The technological Singularity.
 Existential risks, AI, genomics, and nanotech.
 Ways to optimize a positive outcome for
humanity in the co -evolution of humans and
machines.
 The influence of these considerations on
medicine of the future .
 Dean of Science and Dean of Arts speaking,
many prominent people internationally. Most
lectures not very “medical”. Easily understood.
 Balanced view provided by incorporating both
technology skeptics and technology advocates .

13. Winter Fall Winter Winter Fall
Registered Students
Fall
’12 ‘13 ‘14
2 5 12 27 40 40
40
30
 Student numbers more than 20
double every six months! 10
Maximum is 40 . 0
 This may be the last
Winter '12
Fall '12
Winter '13
Fall '13
Winter '14
Fall '14
semester when all students
hear all presentations!

16.  Some already know what the technological
Singularity is, others don’t, and are finding out
now.
 However, if the people and ideas I present are
genuinely new and interesting I should be able to
satisfy both groups.
 The most interesting aspects have to do with the
impact on young people today.

17. 

18. 

19. 
Elenchus - Open Facebook Group
"Elenchus" is a form of inquiry and
debate between individuals with opposing
viewpoints based on utilizing Socratic
dialogue in asking and answering questions
to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas.
The only rule: Maintain Decorum :)

20.  How Inside Outside and Singularity impact young
people, important concepts discussed in course.
 Nova program on PBS Television (100 million viewers)
 Big Bang Theory (the TV show; 16 million viewers)
 Singularity Summit (9,000 views per video)
 Kim Solez – Technology and Future of Medicine Course
LABMP 590 (900 views per video)

21.  .
However, Marcus Hutter suggests that there is an element of
human insignificance that makes the whole scenario much
more challenging. Also, Hutter has created a model general AI
which makes the challenge seem more immediate!

22.  .
However Marcus Hutter suggests that there is an element of
human insignificance that makes the whole scenario much more
challenging. Also Hutter has created a sort of general AI which
makes the problem seem more immediate!

23.  While these targets are “just” recreational
games, they do contain many prototypical
elements of the real world, such as
food, enemies, friends, space, obstacles, objects,
and weapons
 Next could be a test in modern virtual worlds...
that require intelligent agents, and finally some
selected real-world problems
The same single AIXI approximation [“MC-AIXI-CTW”] has
learned to play TicTacToe, Kuhn Poker, and most
impressively, Pacman (Veness et al. 2011) from scratch

25.  Outside the Singularity looking in it will be white
noise
 Inside the Singularity if everything speeds up at
the same rate we may not notice anything; it may
seem like normal life to us
 Even if initially our biological brains count for
something in our mental processes, very soon the
processing power of the machine implant will
vastly outstrip our biological brains. Our biological
brains become insignificant regardless of the
friendliness or lack thereof of the AI

26.  Extreme risk taking because we can back
ourselves up from backups if something bad
happens
 Insignificance, lack of identity. Why wait to create
backups when we have the processing power to
run several lives at once. Can replicate ourselves
endlessly in seconds! No more waiting 9 months!
 The world has little incentive to keep identities
straight when biological brains contribute so little
to mental processes. Bigger not better
 Aimlessness, lack of sense of purpose

27.  The challenge of producing a friendly AI becomes just a
small part of the much larger challenge of creating a
friendly world in which humans still have lives of
significance, human history is retained and extended
 A positive outcome is possible; let’s make it likely
 We all need to be engaged in ensuring a positive
outcome for humanity. The future is ours to shape. We
need to get busy doing that!
 A simple approach is needed to engage the general
public on these matters!
 This course is a beginning attempt at achieving that.

30.  The challenge of friendly AI becomes just a small part of
a much larger challenge of creating a friendly world in
which humans still have lives of significance, human
history is retained and extended.
 We all need to be engaged in ensuring a positive
outcome for humanity. The future is ours
to shape. We need to get busy doing that!
 Part of the imagined future could be
one where all disease was eliminated
but life was intolerable. Another where the only diseases
are from bioterrorism.

31.  All natural disease may be eliminated, leaving
only man-made diseases. But that may leave
as much for physicians to do as there is today!
 Challenging responses to bioterrorism and
stem cell technologies.
 Focus of medicine no longer disease but
enhancement, which will extend beyond the
physical to the moral.
 Social responsibility an important aspect of
medicine and one of the focuses of the course.

32.  “It is the curse of humanity that it learns to tolerate even
the most horrible situations by habituation. Physicians
are the natural attorneys of the poor, and the social
problems should largely be solved by them.”
-Rudolf Virchow

34.  It became apparent that the best way to make this
happen was for me to create a novel course of
new design. Thus, this course.
 Presently, we know of no similar courses being
presented elsewhere.
 Eventually it is our hope that hundreds of similar
courses will begin appearing at Universities all
over the world.

40.  Regulatory oversight that is completely focused
on compliance. Discourages risk-taking and
innovation.
 Health care doesn't have the same financial
reward system. Facebook isn't about to pay $1
billion for the latest hot-ticket item in imaging
and informatics.
 Security always trumps information sharing, and
so better, faster linkages are constrained
because of security concerns, most of which are
bogus.

41. HealthAppsNotUsed