The Singularity Is Nearer
When We Merge with AI
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The Singularity Is Nearer
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Narrated by:
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Adam Barr
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By:
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Ray Kurzweil
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER.
The legendary oracle of technological change explains how AI will transform our species beyond recognition within two decades.
What will it mean to live free from the limits of our bodies? Who will we become if our minds can be stored and duplicated? What new realms of beauty, connection and wonder might we inhabit? How will we navigate the risks presented by such awesomely powerful technology?
By the end of this decade, AI will exceed human levels of intelligence. During the 2030s, it will become ‘superintelligent’, vastly outstripping our capabilities and enabling dramatic interventions in our bodies. By 2045, we will be able to connect our brains directly with AI, enhancing our intelligence a millionfold and expanding our consciousness in ways we can barely imagine. This is the Singularity.
Ray Kurzweil is one of the greatest inventors of our time with over 60 years’ experience in the field of Artificial Intelligence. Dozens of his long-range predictions about the rise of the internet, AI and bioengineering have been borne out. In this visionary and fundamentally optimistic book, Kurzweil explains how the Singularity will occur, explores what it will mean to live free from the limits of biology and argues that we can and will transform life on Earth profoundly for the better.
‘The best person I know at predicting the future of AI’ BILL GATES
'Essential reading to understand our exponential times' MUSTAFA SULEYMAN
'Fascinating . . . raises the most profound philosophical questions' YUVAL NOAH HARARI
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What listeners say about The Singularity Is Nearer
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Liza79
- 07-08-24
A glimpse into the future
A thought provoking insight into a possible future world that is closer than most people would imagine.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- EDDIE MILLER
- 15-10-24
Wonderful, insightful, and deep
This audiobook is a must-listen for anyone interested in the future of humanity. Ray Kurzweil does a brilliant job of explaining complex concepts in a clear and accessible way. The book is packed with information and insights, and it is sure to leave you thinking about the future in a new way.
I have been fascinated by the singularity for many years, and this book is one of the best I have read on the topic. Kurzweil's insights are profound, and his predictions are both exciting and terrifying. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand the future of our species.
Don't give up after the first 3 chapters when it gets very technical! The author is laying the ground work for the rest of the book and it all makes sense as you listen on.
Key takeaways:
1. The singularity is a point in time when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence.
2. Kurzweil believes that the singularity will occur in the next few decades.
3. The singularity will have a profound impact on our lives, and it is important to be prepared for it.
Overall:
This is an excellent audio book that I highly recommend. It is well-written, informative, and thought-provoking. I am sure that it will be one of the best books I listen to this year.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Aysh
- 29-06-24
Interesting and Profound ideas
This book has Profound ideas and the ability of the author to make informed connections , spanning many disciplines is amazing .
He is Very logical and scientific in his deductions, however would have been better if the narration was less synthetic.Furthermore perhaps more relevant for wider reading cohorts if a little more “soul” or a more spiritual reflection on events and how societies develop.The author has a overly optimistic outlook and sense of historical events and their impact.
For example social media also has been a catalyst for a higher mental health issues being reported especially with regards to the youth , as a teacher of 21 years I have noticed , social skills are also lacking progressively by each new and younger cohort.
It is not all roses, the author paints a very rosy picture that is unbalanced at times, that is slightly niave .
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amilton De Sousa
- 26-10-24
Great insight into the topic of Ai.
Fantastic book! I gained a greater insight on the topic of Ai. Will do more reading as I really like this topic. I think for people who fear the Ai revolution, perhaps and I say perhaps it might give some peace of mind.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-07-24
Balanced view of the upcoming technology revolution
I like Kurzweil's less doomsday view of the technological evolution while not avoiding discussing the risks.
It seemed repeating a bit his previous books and I struggled with the narrator.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Natalia
- 14-08-24
Most fascinating book I read ever.
Ray Kurzweil is a well known and very highly regarded figure in science, technology, and, especially, AI. This is take on the future progress and I can't be more excited to see it, should I live beyond 2030. In fact, the future is so amazing, that I will do everything possible to live that long and, hopefully, a bit beyond. It is worth the effort.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marc
- 27-08-24
What read!
Super winteresting snapshot into the not so distant future. The world of AI is advancing at ever increasing speeds. This book gives us an optimistic insight into that we can expect.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Djape
- 29-11-24
Very optimistic book
Overall a very interesting book by a well respected scientist. It paints a picture that made me a bit more optimistic about our future.
The biggest (philosophical/moral) problem for me was that the author completely ignored illegally collected training data that was used to boost current spearhead AI companies. Is “the birth” of AI supposed to be illegal, immoral and all in all against the law?
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Nick Crutchley
- 27-07-24
Simplistic
Do not fear AI. Fear the corporatuons developing AI.
The aithor does not explore this, and its implications for the biosphere.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 30-10-24
Love Ray but audiobook not great
This needs to be read. Story telling doesn’t lend itself to an audiobook. In addition, narrator not great. Suggests Ray should narrate.
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