Astrophysics Term
A singularity is a point in space within a black hole that has is predicted by general relativity to have infinite density and infinite gravitational force. Predicting what actually occurs at a singularity will have to await the development of a theory of quantum gravity.
One question that has been asked are naked singularities possible. The answer has been determined to be yes.
German astrophysicist [Kurt Schwarzschild]? used Albert Einstein's Field Equations to determine the critical radius for any given mass at which matter would collapse into a singularity.
See also Event horizon
Information Theory Term
If, as seems true, technological progress has been following an exponential curve for a very long time, then there will come a point at which technological progress accelerates essentially to infinity. This is known as "the singularity."
There are many different specific definitions of the term, but all seem to have a common theme, perhaps summed up best by Vernor Vinge in his famous essay Singularity, published in 1993:
"Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly thereafter, the human era will be ended."
(full article is at: http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~phoenix/vinge/vinge-sing.html)
The basic idea of "the singularity" can be thought of as a natural extrapolation of Moore's Law. If the computing power per dollar cost continues to double every 18 to 24 months, then it is only a matter of time (some estimates range from 2020-2050) until we have inexpensive computer hardware ($1000, say) that is as powerful as the [human brain]?. When that happens, it seems inevitable that realistic artificial intelligence that equals ours can be created.
But due to such factors as "the [AI advantage]?" (i.e., downloadable consciousness, replicable consciousness), it seems likely that such AIs would quickly be able to create even more intelligent machines. If we can create a single $1000 Einstein, you might say, we can easily create a billion Einsteins. Working together, they can surely generate enough technological progress to build machines so smart that they boggle the human mind.
It's a really interesting idea, no?
Prominent theorists/speculators on the subject include:
Some key concepts are:
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