IMAGINE A WORLD RULED BY MACHINES,
WHERE HUMANITY TAKES SECOND PLACE --
OR, WORSE STILL, HAS BEEN WIPED OUT.
Dr. Kaku: THIS IS MORE THAN JUST SCI-FI FANTASY.
THE RISE OF THE MACHINES IS COMING.
I REALLY WORRY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO DESTROY
NOT JUST OUR HUMAN SPECIES, BUT EVERYTHING WE CARE ABOUT.
I'M TAKING ON THE MOST POWERFUL ENEMY WE'VE EVER SEEN.
MAYBE THE GAME IS OVER EVEN BEFORE IT'S BEGUN.
CHECK...MATE.
IT CERTAINLY LOOKS THAT WAY.
I'M ON A MISSION TO SAVE HUMANITY --
TO STOP THE MACHINES FROM TAKING OVER.
I'M DR. MICHIO KAKU.
I'M A THEORETICAL PHYSICIST
AND A SCIENCE-FICTION [Echoing] FAN.
JOIN ME AS I SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE SCI-FI [Echoing] SCIENCE.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
THE FEAR THAT ONE DAY WE WILL CREATE A MACHINE
WHICH CAN THREATEN OUR VERY EXISTENCE
RUNS RIGHT THROUGH OUR CULTURE.
A MONSTER RISES FROM THE LABORATORY
TO WREAK TERROR ACROSS THE PLANET.
OH, IT'S ALIVE!
IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE!
[ SCREAMS ]
AND AS EVERY SCI-FI FAN KNOWS,
IT'S A THEME AT THE HEART
OF COUNTLESS HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTERS.
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE
IN WHICH THE MACHINES TRY TO TAKE OVER?
"2001"!
"2001" AND HAL.
"I, ROBOT"!
"I, ROBOT."
"THE MATRIX."
AND NOW THE QUESTION IS, HOW DO THEY DO IT?
THEY GET US TO TRUST THEM.
GET US TO RELY ON THEM.
THEY USE OUR OWN SYSTEMS AGAINST US.
THEY WORM THEIR WAY INTO SOCIETY, LIKE YOU GUYS, RIGHT?
[ LAUGHTER ]
BUT KILLER ROBOTS,
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE GONE CRAZY,
AND SUPER-COMPUTERS INTENT ON WIPING US OUT
ARE MORE THAN JUST FANTASIES.
WE FACE A REALITY FAR WORSE
THAN ANY SCRIPTWRITER COULD IMAGINE.
THE RULES THAT GOVERN OUR EXISTENCE
ARE ABOUT TO BE REWRITTEN, FOR ONE REASON --
THE RAPID ACCELERATION OF COMPUTER-PROCESSING POWER.
TECHNOLOGY EXPERT MARSHALL BRAIN
IS FOUNDER OF THE WEBSITE HowStuffWorks.
HELLO. CAN WE HAVE TWO HOT DOGS, PLEASE?
Brain: IF WE GO BACK TO THE 1960s,
THERE WERE COMPUTERS DOING 1,000 OPERATIONS PER SECOND --
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
1980 -- ABOUT A MILLION OPERATIONS PER SECOND.
WE GO TO THE YEAR 2000 --
A BILLION OPERATIONS PER SECOND WITH A PENTIUM 4.
TO TODAY --
WE'RE DOING ABOUT 10 BILLION OPERATIONS PER SECOND.
2020 -- WE'D EXPECT IT TO BE A TRILLION.
2040 -- WE'D EXPECT THAT TO RAMP UP
TO ABOUT A QUADRILLION OPERATIONS PER SECOND.
WE ARE HEADING TOWARDS A POINT
WHERE COMPUTERS BECOME SO SOPHISTICATED,
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RIVALS OUR OWN.
SO, WHEN DO COMPUTERS BECOME AS SMART AS US?
WELL, WE THINK THAT MAYBE A HUMAN BRAIN
IS WORTH ABOUT 10 QUADRILLION OPERATIONS PER SECOND.
SO, SOMETIME IN THAT 2040 TO 2050 RANGE,
WE'D EXPECT TO SEE PARITY.
WE ARE FAST APPROACHING AN EVENT
UNPRECEDENTED IN OUR HISTORY --
A TIPPING POINT KNOWN AS A TECHNOLOGICAL SINGULARITY.
WHEN THIS HAPPENS, THE WORLD WILL CHANGE FOREVER.
A NEW CHAPTER IN HUMAN HISTORY WILL BEGIN.
IN PHYSICS, THE SINGULARITY IS A POINT
WHERE GRAVITY IS SO INTENSE
THAT EVEN SPACE AND TIME BEGIN TO BREAK DOWN,
LIKE THE BIG BANG OR THE BLACK HOLE.
BUT IT ALSO REFERS TO A TIME
WHEN COMPUTER POWER GROWS WITHOUT LIMIT --
SURPASSING HUMAN INTELLIGENCE,
SWEEPING ASIDE EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.
IT MAY BE 20 YEARS AWAY.
IT MAY BE 1,000.
BUT MOST EXPERTS AGREE --
THE TECHNOLOGICAL SINGULARITY IS INEVITABLE.
THE FEAR IS, IF IT'S UNCONTROLLED,
THE RESULTS COULD BE CATASTROPHIC.
WHEN THE SINGULARITY ARRIVES, WE CANNOT PREDICT
WHAT THESE SUPER-INTELLIGENT MACHINES WILL DO.
THEY WILL HAVE THEIR OWN GOALS
AND STOP AT NOTHING TO FULFILL THEM.
THEY MAY EVEN CHOOSE TO ELIMINATE EVERYTHING
THAT STANDS IN THEIR PATH, INCLUDING US.
IT'S MY MISSION TO DEVISE SOME KIND OF STRATEGY
TO PROTECT HUMANITY
AND ENSURE THAT WE SURVIVE THE SINGULARITY.
I NEED TO SET OUT SOME GOALS.
FIRST, I WANT TO PREVENT A MACHINE TAKEOVER --
STOP THE MACHINES FROM OVERCOMING HUMANITY
AND DESTROYING THE EARTH.
SECOND, MAKE SURE THEY'RE OUR SERVANTS,
RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND.
AND THIRD, HARNESS THE POWER OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
FOR THE GOOD OF HUMANITY.
I NEED TO UNDERSTAND MORE CLEARLY
WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST --
IN WHAT WAYS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
COULD POSE A THREAT.
IT TURNS OUT THAT MACHINES
WILL BEHAVE IN SURPRISINGLY HUMAN WAYS
TO FULFILL THEIR OBJECTIVES.
THEY'RE GOING TO WANT TO PRESERVE THEMSELVES.
TO REPLICATE, THEY MIGHT TAKE OVER OTHER COMPUTERS,
THEY MIGHT CONSTRUCT NEW VERSIONS OF THEMSELVES.
THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A SET OF THINGS THEY WANT,
AND THEY MAY NOT COINCIDE WITH OUR DESIRES.
IT'S BECOMING CLEAR --
WE'VE NEVER FACED AN ADVERSARY LIKE THIS IN OUR HISTORY.
THE CHESS ANALOGY IS PERFECT
BECAUSE THEY SEE BILLIONS OF MOVES AHEAD OF US
AND THEY OFTEN PLAY IN WAYS
THAT WE WOULD NEVER THINK OF BECAUSE OF THAT.
SO THEY LOOK AT THEIR GOALS
AND LOOK AT A BILLION DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES
FOR ACCOMPLISHING THEM.
EVERYTHING WE COULD COME AT THEM WITH,
THEY CAN PRECALCULATE AND FIGURE OUT HOW TO STOP.
SO, WHY DON'T WE SIMPLY PULL THE PLUG ON THEM?
THE PROBLEM IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO THINK
ABOUT THAT POSSIBILITY.
EVEN IF WE DESIGN IT IN,
THEY WILL BE SO MUCH MORE INTELLIGENT THAN US.
SO, IN SOME SENSE,
MAYBE THE GAME IS OVER EVEN BEFORE IT'S BEGUN.
CHECK...MATE.
IT CERTAINLY LOOKS THAT WAY.
AFTER TALKING TO MARSHALL -- WELL, IT GIVES ME THE CHILLS.
THINK -- TODAY, THESE MACHINES CAN PLAY CHESS
BUT NOT MUCH MORE.
BUT AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE,
THEY'LL BE ABLE TO CALCULATE REALISTIC SCENARIOS
BILLIONS OF TIMES FASTER THAN US.
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO PLOT, SCHEME,
DEVISE STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE.
THEY CAN ANTICIPATE EVERY COUNTERMOVE WE MAKE.
IT COULD ALL BEGIN INSIDE A SINGLE SUPER-COMPUTER.
A SMARTER-THAN-HUMAN A.I.
STARTS TO DETERMINE ITS OWN OBJECTIVES
AND STOPS AT NOTHING TO ACHIEVE THEM.
IT HOARDS ENERGY AND RESOURCES, SPREADS AND MULTIPLIES ITSELF.
EVENTUALLY, IT TAKES OVER THE PLANET.
WE'RE IN TROUBLE.
BECAUSE UNLESS WE FIND SOME WAY TO AVERT THIS CATASTROPHE,
WE'RE FACING THE ULTIMATE DISASTER --
TOTAL EXTINCTION.
COMING UP -- I TRY BUILDING A WEAPON
TO TAKE DOWN A ROGUE ROBOT.
THIS WILL STOP THEM DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS.
THE FANS REVEAL THEIR OWN IDEAS TO SAVE HUMANITY.
I DON'T CARE HOW BIG AND METAL YOU ARE.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WHEN I MELT YOU AT 35 FEET,
YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ME.
AND I MEET A MAN WHO WANTS TO SLICE ME UP.
THIS IS YOUR BRAIN, MICHIO.
OH, MY GOD. MY BRAIN?
THE SINGULARITY IS COMING.
I MEAN, LET'S GET REAL.
COMPUTERS ARE GETTING SMARTER AND SMARTER EVERY YEAR.
SO IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
BEFORE ONE DAY, THE MACHINES BECOME SMARTER THAN US.
WE'RE FACING OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE
SINCE MANKIND EVOLVED FROM THE APES.
OUR POSITION AT THE TOP OF THE HIERARCHY IS IN JEOPARDY.
BUT WE ARE RESILIENT ANIMALS.
THERE MUST BE SOME WAY
WE CAN STOP THE MACHINES FROM TAKING OVER.
I'M HOPING THIS MAN CAN HELP.
NO ONE HAS GIVEN MORE THOUGHT TO THE SINGULARITY
THAN FUTURIST RAY KURZWELL.
INTELLIGENCE IS IMMENSELY POWERFUL.
YOU CAN SOLVE ALMOST ANY PROBLEM --
DISEASE, POVERTY --
BUT IT COULD ALSO BE USED TO BE DESTRUCTIVE.
RAY BELIEVES THE SINGULARITY
WILL SPELL THE END OF THE HUMAN ERA.
A WORLD DOMINATED BY MACHINES IS INEVITABLE.
I THINK IT'S TYPICAL IN AN EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS
THAT YOUR DESCENDANTS GO BEYOND YOU.
WE'RE DESCENDED FROM THE APES, BUT WE'VE GONE BEYOND THEM.
WE'VE TRANSCENDED THEIR LIMITATIONS.
AND WE'RE CREATING A WHOLE NEW EVOLUTIONARY PROCESS
OF TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS EVOLVING
AND, ULTIMATELY, WILL MATCH US AND GO BEYOND US.
TALKING TO RAY, IT'S NOW CLEAR TO ME
THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN STOP THE RISE OF THE MACHINES.
THE BEST WE CAN HOPE FOR IS TO STAY IN CONTROL.
IT'S A FUNDAMENTAL CHALLENGE
THAT ONE A.I. RESEARCHER IS TRYING TO MEET HEAD-ON.
I'M ABOUT TO MEET A MAN
WHO THINKS HE HAS A FRESH, NEW STRATEGY
FOR MANAGING SUPER-INTELLIGENT MACHINES THAT WON'T KILL US.
DR. BEN GOERTZEL IS DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH
AT THE SINGULARITY INSTITUTE FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
THE BEST WAY TO ENCOURAGE A SAFE FUTURE FOR THE HUMAN RACE
IS TO ACTUALLY CREATE AN INTELLIGENT MACHINE
THAT CAN SERVE AS A SORT OF A.I. NANNY
WITH A GOAL OF KEEPING EVERYTHING SAFE, HEALTHY,
AND HAPPY ON THE PLANET.
IT WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A VERY STRONG POWER OF OBSERVATION.
IT WOULD HAVE TO SEE YOUR E-MAILS, PHONE CALLS.
IT WOULD HAVE TO SEE SURVEILLANCE-CAMERA IMAGES.
IT WOULD HAVE ACCESS TO SATELLITE IMAGES.
NOW, LET'S SAY I HAVE A MECHANICAL MAID.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, INSTEAD OF CLEANING MY HOUSE,
THE MAID DECIDES TO BURN DOWN THE HOUSE.
HOW WILL THIS NANNY SENSE THE FACT
THAT A MACHINE HAS GONE BERSERK AND WANTS TO BURN DOWN MY HOUSE,
AND WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT?
THE ROBOT MAID WILL HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED
IN A FACTORY MONITORED AND ENGINEERED BY THE NANNY A.I.
SO THE ROBOT MAID, MORE THAN LIKELY,
WILL HAVE A SECURITY CHIP IN ITS ROBOT BRAIN.
IF THE ROBOT MAID STARTS TO GO BERSERK,
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE SECURITY CHIP GOES OFF,
THE ROBOT MAID GOES TO SLEEP,
IT'S TAKEN OFF TO THE FACTORY FOR REPAIRS.
A BENEVOLENT A.I. WATCHING OVER US?
IT'S CERTAINLY BOLD, AND BEST OF ALL,
IT'S STRAIGHT OUT OF SCIENCE FICTION.
BEN THINKS A POWERFUL NANNY COMPUTER
COULD MONITOR GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS DATA.
IF A HOSTILE A.I. OR ROGUE ROBOT BEGAN TO EMERGE,
THE NANNY COMPUTER WOULD DETECT IT
AND SEND OUT AN ALARM SIGNAL TO HAVE IT DEACTIVATE.
I LIKE BEN'S IDEA --
MACHINES WATCHING OTHER MACHINES.
IT'S A FRESH NEW APPROACH.
BUT I CAN SEE SOME PROBLEMS.
IT'S PUTTING AN AWFUL LOT OF EGGS IN JUST ONE BASKET.
WHO GUARDS THE GUARDIAN?
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE NANNY A.I. GOES BERSERK?
HISTORY IS FULL OF INSTANCES WHEN MACHINES GO CRAZY.
[ Imitating HAL ] I CAN'T LET YOU DO THAT, DAVE.
I THINK THAT THE DAY WHEN MACHINES ARE SMARTER THAN US,
IT'S TIME TO HIDE SOMEWHERE.
WE WOULD BE CAST ASIDE, LIKE INSECTS ARE.
WE MAY BE FORCED TO ADOPT A FAR MORE VIOLENT SOLUTION.
TO DEFEAT THE ULTIMATE ENEMY,
I NEED TO DEPLOY THE ULTIMATE WEAPON.
I'VE GOT A PROBLEM --
WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE MACHINES BECOME SO SMART,
THEY THREATEN OUR EXISTENCE?
MAYBE THE ANSWER IS TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLES OF HUMANS.
AFTER ALL, WE ARE INTELLIGENT.
WHAT WE DO IS WE EDUCATE OUR CHILDREN
TO GIVE THEM A SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG.
MAYBE THAT'S IT -- EDUCATE OUR MACHINES
TO GIVE THEM A SENSE OF MORALITY AND ETHICS.
TO FIND OUT IF THAT'S POSSIBLE, I'M MEETING THIS GUY.
GARY MARCUS IS AN EXPERT IN CHILD PSYCHOLOGY AT NYU.
DO YOU THINK IT'S POSSIBLE TO TEACH MORALITY TO A MACHINE
IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE COULD TEACH MORALITY TO CHILDREN?
WELL, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE CAN TEACH MORALITY TO CHILDREN.
CHILDREN ARE BORN WITH SOME INNATE SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG,
AND THEN THEY DEVELOP
A MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED SENSE OVER TIME.
CAN WE TEACH MACHINES THAT? I DON'T KNOW.
GARY'S WORRIED THAT EVEN IF WE COULD EDUCATE
SUPER-INTELLIGENT MACHINES,
ULTIMATELY, WE WOULD HAVE NO CONTROL.
THEY COULD EVEN END UP BEHAVING LIKE WAYWARD TEENAGERS.
A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE OF TEENAGERS BECOME SOCIOPATHS.
THEIR PARENTS TRY TO RAISE THEM IN PROPER WAYS,
AND THEN THEY GO OFF,
THEY FIND THAT IT'S MORE ADVANTAGEOUS TO THEM
TO LIE, CHEAT, KILL OTHER PEOPLE, AND SO FORTH.
IT'S ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD BUILD MACHINES LIKE THAT.
I THINK THE HARDER THING TO DO WOULD BE TO BUILD MACHINES
THAT AREN'T LIKE TEENAGERS
AND THAT ARE LIKE MATURE ADULTS.
SO, THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT WHEN WE EDUCATE A ROBOT,
IT CAN'T TURN ON US?
NO GUARANTEE AT ALL.
THIS IS A HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT.
I FELT SURE THAT EDUCATION WAS THE ANSWER.
BUT TALKING TO GARY, IT'S NOW CLEAR TO ME
THAT NO MATTER HOW YOU TRY
TO TALK ABOUT RIGHT AND WRONG TO CHILDREN,
WE HAVE NO CONTROL.
SOME OF THEM COULD WIND UP TO BE CRIMINALS.
AND WITH INTELLIGENT MACHINES --
SURE, MOST OF THEM COULD TURN OUT TO BE BENEVOLENT.
BUT IT ONLY TAKES ONE MALEVOLENT SUPER-INTELLIGENT ROBOT
TO CREATE HAVOC.
IT COULD BE THEM OR US.
WE MAY HAVE NO ALTERNATIVE.
IF THE MACHINES TURN HOSTILE,
WE'LL HAVE TO TRY AND WIPE THEM OUT.
AND NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY,
I THINK IT'S JUST POSSIBLE
THEY'LL HAVE A WEAKNESS WE COULD EXPLOIT.
THIS IS THE HEART OF MACHINE INTELLIGENCE.
THOUSANDS, MILLIONS OF MICROCIRCUITS, ELECTRODES,
AND TRANSISTORS AND CHIPS,
ALL OF THEM VULNERABLE TO ONE THING --
ELECTRICAL OVERLOAD.
SO IF I FIND SOME WAY TO SHORT-CIRCUIT THEM,
I HAVE FOUND THEIR ACHILLES' HEEL.
THEY CAN BE DESTROYED.
I THINK I HAVE THE ANSWER.
ATOM BOMBS RELEASE A COLOSSAL SHOCK WAVE
OF THERMONUCLEAR ENERGY.
AT THE SAME TIME,
THEY EMIT A POWERFUL ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE, OR EMP.
IF I COULD BUILD AN EMP WEAPON,
I COULD IRREVERSIBLY DAMAGE THE ELECTRONICS
INSIDE ANY HOSTILE A.I. OR ROGUE ROBOT
BUT LEAVE HUMANS UNHARMED.
THERE'S A SIMPLE WAY TO SEE HOW.
THIS IS A SPARK GENERATOR.
LET'S SAY THESE ARE TWO COMPONENTS --
TWO ELECTRODES INSIDE A COMPUTER.
AND THIS WILL SIMULATE THE ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE.
BY GENERATING 30,000 VOLTS,
I'M GONNA GET ARCING SPARKS OF ELECTRICITY
GOING FROM ONE ELECTRODE TO THE OTHER.
WATCH.
[ ELECTRICITY CRACKLES ]
THAT IS ENOUGH TO FRY THE ELECTRONICS
OF ANY ROGUE MACHINE.
THIS WILL STOP THEM DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS.
WE COULD CONSTRUCT A NETWORK SYSTEM OF ORBITING SATELLITES
TO MONITOR THE EARTH'S SURFACE,
EACH EQUIPPED WITH AN EMP WEAPON.
IF MACHINES WENT ON THE RAMPAGE,
WE COULD ZAP THEM WITH A HIGH-VOLTAGE BURST
OF ELECTROMAGNETISM
TO BURN OUT THEIR ELECTRONIC CIRCUITRY.
THERE'S JUST ONE PROBLEM.
THERE'S NO WAY TO ACCURATELY FOCUS ITS EFFECTS.
ANYTHING ELECTRONIC WITHIN 1,000 MILES OF THE BLAST
WOULD ALSO BE OBLITERATED.
WE'D BOMB OURSELVES BACK TO THE 1800s.
IF THE MACHINES START TAKING OVER,
WE'D BE DEFENSELESS.
IT'S A CRUEL IRONY.
OUR CIVILIZATION
IS WHOLLY DEPENDENT UPON TECHNOLOGY TO FUNCTION,
AND YET IT IS THIS VERY SAME TECHNOLOGY
WHICH THREATENS OUR EXISTENCE.
IT'S A NO-WIN SITUATION -- UNLESS WE DO THE UNTHINKABLE.
TO FIND OUT MORE, GO TO...
I'VE FINALLY HIT A DEAD END.
I'VE TRIED EVERYTHING TO STOP THE RISE OF THE MACHINES.
I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT POLICING THEM, EDUCATING THEM,
HUNTING THEM DOWN, ZAPPING THEM WITH RADIATION.
I'VE RUN OUT OF TRICKS.
SO, YOU KNOW, I'VE GOT TO THINK OUT OF THE BOX.
INSTEAD OF CONFRONTING THE MACHINES,
MAYBE WE'LL HAVE TO EMBRACE THEM.
A FRIEND OF MINE HERE IN BOSTON THINKS HE KNOWS HOW.
MAX TEGMARK IS AN ASTROPHYSICIST
AND PROFESSOR OF COSMOLOGY AT M.I.T.
HIS SOLUTION IS RADICAL, HIS METHODS CLEARLY UNUSUAL.
MAX IS CONVINCED THAT MAN AND MACHINE SHOULD MERGE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY NOT MEATLOAF.
THIS IMICHIO.BRAIN,
OH, MY GOD.
AND I AM SLICING IT
BECAUSE I WANT TO UPLOAD YOU INTO A COMPUTER.
AND HOW ARE YOU GONNA DO THAT?
WELL, I THINK THE BRAIN IS A PHYSICAL SYSTEM,
JUST LIKE YOUR HIP.
IF I REPLACE YOUR HIP BY AN ARTIFICIAL ONE
THAT DOES THE SAME STUFF, YOU'RE GONNA FEEL THE SAME.
IN THE SAME FASHION,
IF I CAN REPLACE THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF YOUR BRAIN
BY SOMETHING RUNNING ON A COMPUTER
THAT DOES EXACTLY THE SAME THING,
YOU WILL FEEL THE SAME.
BECAUSE IT'S NOT THE NATURE OF THE ATOMS THAT MATTER --
WHETHER IT'S CARBON OR SILICON --
IT'S WHAT THEY DO.
MAX BELIEVES THAT BY UPLOADING,
WE COULD MERGE WITH MACHINE INTELLIGENCE
TO FORM A GIANT DATABASE OF KNOWLEDGE.
HUMANITY WOULD ENTER A HIGHER LEVEL OF EXISTENCE.
SO WE COULD BECOME SUPER-INTELLIGENT.
WE COULD LEARN FROM OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES.
WE'LL HAVE VASTLY LARGER MEMORY, COMPUTATIONAL ABILITY.
WE COULD BECOME SUPER-BRAINS THEN, HUH?
YES.
AND IN A SENSE, WE WOULD INDIVIDUALLY BE SMARTER,
BUT ALSO WE, COLLECTIVELY --
HUMANKIND WOULD BE A MUCH MORE POWERFUL FORM OF LIFE.
MY JOURNEY'S OVER.
I'VE HEARD PLENTY OF HORROR STORIES.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? I'VE CHANGED MY MIND.
I THINK WE SHOULD EMBRACE THE SINGULARITY.
YOU SEE, FUNDAMENTALLY, I'M AN OPTIMIST.
OPTIMISTS MAKE HISTORY, NOT PESSIMISTS.
SO I'M GONNA COME UP WITH A SOLUTION
THAT SOME PEOPLE MAY FIND VERY SURPRISING.
I DON'T CARE HOW BIG AND METAL YOU ARE.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS, WHEN I MELT YOU AT 35 FEET,
YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH ME.
AMBASSADOR SPOCK ONCE SAID, "THEY MAKE EXCELLENT SERVANTS,
BUT I HAVE NO DESIRE TO SERVE UNDER THEM."
WE DON'T WANT THE ROBOTS TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD,
BUT THEY'RE NO MATCH FOR THE AWESOME POWER OF THE FORCE.
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
TODAY, I WANT TO ADDRESS ONE URGENT QUESTION
AS COMPUTER POWER RACES AHEAD --
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE MACHINES BECOME SMARTER THAN US?
YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN "THE TERMINATOR."
YOU SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN "BLADE RUNNER."
WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT IT?
WELL, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU A RADICAL NEW SOLUTION,
AND THAT IS -- MERGE WITH THEM.
FIRST, THIS IS THE HUMAN BRAIN,
THE MOST COMPLEX OBJECT IN OUR SECTOR OF THE GALAXY.
100 BILLION NEURONS THAT CAN BE SCANNED BY MRI --
NEURON FOR NEURON.
THIS MEANS WE CAN DIGITIZE
ALL THE INFORMATION WE ACCUMULATE DURING OUR LIVES
AND UPLOAD IT INTO A GIANT MOTHER COMPUTER --
A VAST DATABASE OF ALL HUMAN KNOWLEDGE,
A RESOURCE WE COULD SHARE BY DOWNLOADING PROGRAMS
WE WANT TO GIVE US INSTANT KNOWLEDGE.
SO WHEN THE SINGULARITY ARRIVES, WE WILL BE IN CONTROL.
BY MERGING WITH MACHINES,
WE WILL ENTER A NEW AGE OF SUPERHUMAN EXISTENCE.
THEN IN THE POST-HUMAN ERA, WE BECOME HOMO SUPERIOR.
WE BECOME A NEW SPECIES.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HUMANITY BECOMING LIKE THE GODS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]
AND HOW MANY WANT TO SIGN UP?
[ CHEERING AND SHOUTING ]
IT'S A FANTASTIC IDEA.
I THINK WHAT WE NEED TO DO IN ORDER TO GET TO THAT PLACE
IS THINK ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
AS A WAY OF MAKING OURSELVES BETTER,
AS A WAY OF COMING TO THE FULLNESS OF HUMAN POTENTIAL,
AND DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO IMPROVE OURSELVES.
THE IDEA OF US BEING ABLE TO EVOLVE
PAST NORMAL HUMAN STANDARDS IS BRILLIANT.
I GOT A WHOLE PRIVACY-ISSUE THING GOING ON HERE,
AND THERE'S SOME PARTS OF MY MIND
THAT I JUST DON'T THINK THE WHOLE OF HUMANITY
IS REALLY READY TO HEAR.