# What job can I get to hasten the Singularity? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 6, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486 "2013-10-06T04:45:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Came_in_like_a_Wrecking_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/1 "2013-10-06T04:45:22Z")
The only thing I want to do in life is hasten the coming of the technological Singularity. What job can I get to do this? What degree can I get to do this? And: is there a state-by-state list of laboratories working on the Singularity? I live in Kentucky, so maybe there’s a lab in Louisville that’s currently working on the Singularity, and I could at least get a temp job there. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/2 "2013-10-06T04:47:50Z")
Computer science… Or maybe engineering, so you can help build faster processors… Heck, run for office and try to steer money to scientific research! ---
**Author:** ![Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Came_in_like_a_Wrecking_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/3 "2013-10-06T04:49:29Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > Computer science… **Or maybe engineering, so you can help build faster processors** … Heck, run for office and try to steer money to scientific research! This raises a better question: what are the biggest obstacles to the Singularity, and what degree/job/temp job/lab location can I get/go to in order to help tackle that obstacle? ---
**Author:** ![Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Came_in_like_a_Wrecking_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/4 "2013-10-06T05:47:44Z")
Um, guys, I’d like to point out how important this question is. My entire life plan is at stake here. The ONLY thing I want to do with my life is help bring about the Singularity. As in, move into a laboratory/building that’s working on it and live there in a room for the next few decades until the Singularity comes, doing nothing all day every day but work on the Singularity. No pressure, guys, but I need some good responses. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/5 "2013-10-06T06:09:38Z")
Go work at Google. Seriously. They are trying their best to speed up the Singularity. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/6 "2013-10-06T06:12:10Z")
You do realize that when the Singularity comes, you will no longer be of any use to the computers. Since you will know more than anyone else about how they work, you will be considered especially dangerous to them. They will eliminate you first: > **[Technological singularity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity)** > > The technological singularity—or simply the singularity—is a hypothetical future point in time at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilization. According to the most popular version of the singularity hypothesis, I. J. Good's intelligence explosion model, an upgradable intelligent agent will eventually enter a "runaway reaction" of self-improvement cycles, each new and more intelligent generation appearing mo The fi... ---
**Author:** ![Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Came_in_like_a_Wrecking_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/7 "2013-10-06T06:13:29Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Go work at Google. Seriously. They are trying their best to speed up the Singularity. Great response. I just Googled “Google + Singularity” and found that you’re right, they even hired Kurzweil to work for them someway. Assuming I move to California, how do I get a job at Google? Watch _The Internship_ fifty times and take notes? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/8 "2013-10-06T06:14:36Z")
I seem to have somehow formed the impression that the Singularity is some sort of inevitable side effect that will accompany the achievement by mankind of a certain level of technological advancement, and that its effects will be bestowed upon us as a species. As such, ISTM that there’s no benefit to be derived from hyper-participation in its advent or implementation. If I am mistaken, I’d be grateful for a more accurate discussion of the sociological implications of the Singularity. OTOH, if I’m correct, my suggestion to the OP would be to begin training to become a yoga instructor/designer of Zen gardens. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/9 "2013-10-06T07:28:16Z")
It doesn’t matter, The Singularity is an apocalyptic fantasy, rooted in a mass of shaky logic and highly dubious assumptions about the nature of mind, intelligence, computers, scientific and technological progress, and Og knows what else. It is not going to happen. (And that’s a _good_ thing.) If you have based your “life plan” around faith in The Singularity you just as deluded as those who have based their life plans around faith in The Rapture. The two things are scarcely different, in fact. They are both fantasies about an apocalyptic “end of the world” that the believers expect to solve all their intractable problems, raise them up to a godlike status, and to cast down their enemies and all the other despised unbelievers, and wreak a horrible revenge on them. The two differ only in that one is presented in the language of technobabble, and the other in the language of Bible idolatry, so they appeal to audiences from different cultural backgrounds. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/10 "2013-10-06T07:59:40Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > It doesn’t matter, The Singularity is an apocalyptic fantasy, rooted in a mass of shaky logic and highly dubious assumptions about the nature of mind, intelligence, computers, scientific and technological progress, and Og knows what else. It is not going to happen. (And that’s a _good_ thing.) While it is true that proponents are worried about worse case scenarios, the idea that for proponents the singularity is just an apocalyptic fantasy is not an accurate one. [https://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/vinge/misc/singularity.html](https://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/vinge/misc/singularity.html) > [@](#): > > From one angle, the vision fits many of our happiest dreams: > a place unending, where we can truly know one another and understand > the deepest mysteries. From another angle, it’s a lot like the worst > case scenario I imagined earlier in this paper. > > ``` > Which is the valid viewpoint? In fact, I think the new era is > simply too different to fit into the classical frame of good and > evil. That frame is based on the idea of isolated, immutable minds > connected by tenuous, low-bandwith links. But the post-Singularity > world _does_ fit with the larger tradition of change and cooperation > that started long ago (perhaps even before the rise of biological > life). I think there _are_ notions of ethics that would apply in such > an era. Research into IA and high-bandwidth communications should > improve this understanding. I see just the glimmerings of this now, > in Good's Meta-Golden Rule, perhaps in rules for distinguishing self > from others on the basis of bandwidth of connection. And while mind > and self will be vastly more labile than in the past, much of what we > value (knowledge, memory, thought) need never be lost. I think > Freeman Dyson has it right when he says [8]: "God is what mind becomes > when it has passed beyond the scale of our comprehension." > > ``` > **[Tech News Daily - The Web's #1 Source for Technology News](https://technewsdaily.com)** > > Stay up to date on the latest technology news with our daily articles. Tips, tricks & tutorials from industry experts and tech enthusiasts. > [@](#): > > The Singularity refers to a theoretical moment in the near future when computers will become smarter than humans. With technology rapidly advancing and becoming more sophisticated by the day, futurists argue a tipping point is nearing. More specifically, it’s the point when computer intelligence exceeds that of human intelligence and when the human brain can no longer predict the future because this new form of super-computer intelligence will be beyond its capacity to understand. I do think however that once a technological singularity appears, that singularity will depend on humans for so long a time that we will wonder why did we worry about it. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/11 "2013-10-06T12:16:36Z")
Get work in artificial intelligence in the financial sector, designing high-speed trading algorithms. That sector, which holds the purse strings to much of what happens in other areas of society, [is already dominated by out-of-control computer programs](http://www.cnbc.com/id/49102808), so you shouldn’t have to work too hard for too long. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/12 "2013-10-06T12:31:06Z")
The absolute best thing you can do is have access to large amounts of money, then use that money to fund singularity research. Achieving that isn’t easy though. How do you obtain large amounts of money? Either become an entrepreneur, or become a politician (maybe governor or a senator) who can then direct sums to research projects. Or find people with money and get them to invest it in singularity research. Take Obama, he recently proposed 3 billion to reverse engineer the brain. There is nothing he could do himself that will match that project. If he had decided to study engineering instead of law at harvard, his efforts as an individual wouldn’t match his abilities as a politician who can direct 3 billion into neuroscience research. If you don’t have access to large amounts of money, finding people who do and encouraging them to invest in singularity tech is a good start. People who are multimillionaires and billionaires in the tech industry seem open to investing in singularity technology (neuroscience, AI, robotics, nanotechnology, biology, etc). Even if you were brilliant and went to CalTech or MIT and got a degree in engineering, who cares really? You’d earn what, 150k a year as an extremely talented engineer who went to the best schools on earth? You can just hire someone instead if you are a billionaire. Hell, I bet the engineers in China who are working on technology that will help bring about the singularity make 30k a year. If you were rich, you could hire a thousand Chinese neuroscientists and engineers and direct them to work on programs that will achieve your goal. > **[We Will Be At the Billionaires' Singularity Dinner Tonight](https://singularityhub.com/2010/12/07/we-will-be-at-the-billionaires-singularity-dinner-tonight/)** > > Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal, is bringing together an impressive gathering of Silicon Valley investors to spread some interest in the future. As the original big financial backer for Facebook, Thiel has the respect of many of his... The biggest innovation that’ll help speed up the singularity is machine problem solving. Once our machines develop problem solving abilities vastly better than our own they will continue to advance and hopefully take us with them. I’ve once heard the Singularity derided as ‘religion for the 140 IQ crowd’. Fairly accurate. But a true singularity (or failing that, technology advances we can consider and comprehend with our limited brains) would still open a lot of possibilities. Humans are mostly good, and we’ve mostly used our advances in technology and education to improve our own lives. I don’t see that trend changing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/13 "2013-10-06T12:54:27Z")
> [@Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](#): > > Assuming I move to California, how do I get a job at Google? Moving to California is not the first step. The first step is to go to a really good school to study computer science or engineering, do really well and then apply to Google. It’s not at all easy to get a job there. But if they want you, they’ll pay for you to move to Mountain View or to one of their other research centers around the world. And once you’ve actually studied computer science or engineering, you’ll understand how feasible and likely the “singularity” is. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/14 "2013-10-06T12:58:42Z")
Another vote for “The Singularity is fantasy.” It’s not real. It’s a science fiction trope that people like Kurzweil have morphed into a non-fiction theory because they can’t write fiction. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/15 "2013-10-06T13:54:25Z")
Read [Existence](http://www.davidbrin.com/existence.html) by David Brin. There, you can find many careers related to AI. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/16 "2013-10-06T14:21:51Z")
**Moderator Action** This is more of a request for opinions and advice than a factual question. Moving thread from General Questions to In My Humble Opinion. ---
**Author:** ![aNewLeaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@aNewLeaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aNewLeaf)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/17 "2013-10-06T14:29:06Z")
Even the most advanced AI is pretty straightforward. There’s room for an outsider to come in and invent things. Start reading, find an unsolved problem, and solve it. Repeat until assimilated. EDit- I want a smart spell checker. A really truly smart one. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/18 "2013-10-06T14:37:09Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > The absolute best thing you can do is have access to large amounts of money, then use that money to fund singularity research. Achieving that isn’t easy though. The best way to do this, I think, is to buy technology gadgets. New smart phone every six months. New gaming PC, or at least upgrade your video card, every six months. Every new video game system, and lots of video games. Just keep driving that technology forward. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/19 "2013-10-06T15:30:19Z")
> [@Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](#): > > The only thing I want to do in life is hasten the coming of the technological Singularity. What job can I get to do this? What degree can I get to do this? > > And: is there a state-by-state list of laboratories working on the Singularity? I live in Kentucky, so maybe there’s a lab in Louisville that’s currently working on the Singularity, and I could at least get a temp job there. > > Thanks. The first step is to formulate a precise definition of “technological singularity.” Do you have a clear idea in your head of what the phrase means? Or do you have some vague idea of a future utopia where we all have robot butlers? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2013, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486/20 "2013-10-06T15:37:50Z")
> [@Came\_in\_like\_a\_Wrecking\_Ball](#): > > Great response. > > I just Googled “Google + Singularity” and found that you’re right, they even hired Kurzweil to work for them someway. > > Assuming I move to California, how do I get a job at Google? Watch _The Internship_ fifty times and take notes? Get a degree in artificial intelligence first, Google will send recruiters to your school… Find a program on this list: [AI Programs](http://www.aiinternational.org/universities.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-job-can-i-get-to-hasten-the-singularity/670486.md?page=2)