The Singularity (movie)

Topical organization of the film

Doug Wolens organized by this set of topics, related to the singularity. How to get their views, how to get along with others, how to get their views, how to get there.

• Topic I. Artificial intelligence
  • Subtopic: Explosion Intelligence
  • Subtopic: That Think Machines
  • Subtopic: Conscious machines
• Topic II. Becoming machines
  • Subtopic: Neuroengineering
  • Subtopic: Nanotechnology
• Topic III. Techno-utopia –
  • Subtopic: Getting Ready
  • Subtopic: Is The Singularity Near?
  • Subtopic: Regulating technology
• Topic IV. Post-human – Transcend

Commentators, in order of their appearance in the film

• Ray Kurzweil – National Medal of Technology Recipient, Inventor
• Ralph Merkle – Institute for Molecular Manufacturing / Senior Research Fellow
• Brad Templeton – Electronic Frontier Foundation Director
• Jonas Lamis – Technology Entrepreneur, Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Rally
• Paul Saffo – Distinguished Visiting Scholarship at Stanford University
• Eliezer Yudkowsky – Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Co-founder
• Peter Voss – Adaptive AI, Inc. / Founder and CEO
• Ben Goertzel – Novamente LLC, Artificial Intelligence Development, Founder
• Chris Phoenix – Center for Responsible Nanotechnology Co-founder
• Peter Norvig – Google, Director of Research
• Alison Gopnik – Professor of Psychology and Philosophy at UC Berkeley
• David Chalmers – Center for Consciousness, Director and Professor Philosophy
• Wolf Singer – Max Planck Institute for Brain Research, Director
• Christof Koch – California Institute of Technology, Professor of Cognitive and Behavioral Biology
• Christine Peterson – Foresight Nanotech Institute, President and Co-founder
• Andy Clark – University of Edinburgh, Professor of Philosophy
• Barney Pell – Bing / Microsoft Chief Architect for local search
• Cynthia Breazeal – MIT Media Lab Personal Robots Group, Director
• Bill McKibben – Scholar in Residence – Middlebury College
• Richard A. Clarke
• Matt Francis – UC Berkeley / Professor of Chemistry
• David D. Friedman – Economist / Professor of Law at Santa Clara University
• Leon Panetta – United States Secretary of Defense
• Aubrey from Gray
• Glenn Zorpette – Executive Editor of IEEE Spectrum

Music

American composer Christopher (“Chrizzy”) Lancaster scored the original soundtrack for the film. The soundtrack was created by the processing of acoustic cello sound through real-time samplers, audio effects, and filtering recording his cello and feedback.

Release

The Castro Theater in San Francisco in September 2013, along with screening at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge MA, the Smith Rafael Film Center in Marin California, and The Santa Fe Center for Contemporary Arts. The film has also been screened at Yale University, University of Edinburgh, Arizona State University, NASA, BIL, and others. These screenings featured post-screening with expert panels, and / or question and answer sessions with director Doug Wolens. ^{[2] [ unreliable source ]}Doug Wolens has pursued an alternative self-distribution strategy for The Singularity, working directly with theaters, museums, educational institutions, and the press, to promote the screenings and iTunes December, 2012 digital release. ^{[1] [ unreliable source? ] [2] [ unreliable source ] [3] [ non-primary source needed ] [4] [5] [ dead link ]}

Reception

Stephen Cass of the IEEE Spectrum called it “a lively introduction” that does not cover new ground. ^[6] Geoff Pevere of The Globe and Mail wrote that the film, has “intense, idea-packed account” of the concept, casts McKibben as the most compelling speaker, as his arguments come across the most human, appealing not only to reason but also feeling. ^[7] Alex Knapp of Forbes wrote that it is “well done and provides a good overview”, though he said it would be appreciated by the main tenet of exponential growth. ^[8] The interviewees themselves also attracted commentary; Case asked why there were no non-white subjects, ^[6]and Pevere described them called “neo-hippie, unkempt lonhairs”. ^[7]

References