One day, human beings will be able to create computers that can "think" the same way the human brain does. When this happens, the ability to "think" will lead to the creation of "awareness"; the line between man and machine will no longer be visible. The Singularity will have occurred.
Some futurist argue that this day isn't as far away as we think, Ray Kurzweil thinks it will happen by 2030.
It would be the first step toward creating machines that are more powerful than the human brain. These supercomputers could be networked into a cloud computing architecture to amplify their processing capabilities. Meanwhile, algorithms that power them could get more intelligent. Together these could create the ultimate machine that can help us handle the challenges of the future, says Kurzweil.
I'm not too comfortable with the notion that man will be able to create machines that are like man. But, thankfully, futurists still haven't come up with an explanation of how machines will develop awareness. They say it happens as a natural extension from raw computer power; once a machine can think as fast as the brain, then it will become "alive".
I'm not buying that, not at all. Being aware is not just about having a brain that can process thoughts at a certain speed. Its more than that. It must be.
