Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies such as Appia Bio, Seranova Bio, Delix Therapeutics

The Coming Technological Singularity: How to Survive in the Post-Human Era

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2024-06-16 01:00:05

Axial partners with great founders and inventors. We invest in early-stage life sciences companies such as Appia Bio, Seranova Bio, Delix Therapeutics, Simcha Therapeutics, among others often when they are no more than an idea. We are fanatical about helping the rare inventor who is compelled to build their own enduring business. If you or someone you know has a great idea or company in life sciences, Axial would be excited to get to know you and possibly invest in your vision and company. We are excited to be in business with you — email us at info@axialvc.com

Vernor Vinge’s seminal paper “The Coming Technological Singularity” grapples with one of the most profound and unsettling ideas in science and technology — the notion that human beings may not remain the most intelligent or capable entities on Earth for much longer. Vinge argues forcefully that we are rapidly approaching a point where technological progress will give rise to superintelligent machines or systems that vastly surpass human cognitive abilities. This “Singularity” represents an event horizon beyond which the future becomes increasingly difficult to anticipate or comprehend from our current limited vantage point.

The core idea driving Vinge’s thesis is the imminent creation of “entities with greater than human intelligence” enabled by multiple technological paths: artificial intelligence systems, large computer networks, computer/human interfaces, and biological enhancements. While acknowledging the speculative nature of these ideas, Vinge marshals evidence that rapid progress is underway, citing trends like steady computational power growth following Moore’s law. He notes achievements like expert systems rivaling top human players in chess and logic proofs being assisted by intelligent software. The creation of superintelligence, once achieved, would spur an “intellectual runaway” of self-improving systems rapidly increasing their own capabilities in ways we cannot easily foresee or control.