We actually had a presentation on Transhumanism and indirectly AI and the Singularity the other day. It's a really fascinating subject.

http://www.videosift.com/video/Building-Gods-Documentary is good viewing, even if it's a bit far reaching and subjective.

It's tough to talk about intellects greater than ours, because, for obvious reasons, we can't imagine them. It is my belief that we humans are but a husk for the next species, as all species are. Whether the following species is a biological evolution or technological one is not really important. It would be nice to be around to see it, but that is not the nature of humans, as they are now. Perhaps we can solve the aging problem be progressing from our bodies into robots or virtual worlds, but that time is certainly not here yet.

We had a related discussion on AI here: http://videogames.videosift.com/talk/Intelligent-Design-Where-is-AI-going

The film includes interviews by top experts and thinkers on the subject worldwide, including Marvin Minsky, Terence McKenna, Hans Moravec, Bruce Sterling, Robert Anton Wilson, Richard Seed, Margareth Wertheim, Kirkpatrick Sale, Ralph C. Merkle, Mark Pesce, Ray Kurzweil, Rabbi Youssouf Kazen, Rael and many others.

Part 1: Transhuman
Part 1 gives an overview of recent technological developments (biogenetics, artificial intelligence, robotics, implants, nanotechnology,…) and prognoses made by leading scientists about the impact of these developments in the near future.

Part 2: Preparing for the Singularity
In this part advocates and opponents of a transhuman future are weighed against each other; prognoses are done when we can expect the transhuman revolution and how people are preparing for it already now.

Part 3: The Metaphysics of Technology
This part covers the metaphysical consequences of the new technological revolution. On the one hand scientist start to use metaphysical concepts to describe the impact of their research, on the other hand, a surprisingly large number of scientific projects is inspired by religious aspirations and more and more theologians from any religious or spiritual belief are getting interested in these aspirations of new technology, making the discussion inextricable complex.

nice reference to the technological singularity in the tags, OP. Strong AI, and transhumanism, FTW.

Or FTL.

I for one, Welcome our new robot overlords, i mean protectors.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag. (show it anyway)

I hope someday we get beyond nationalism - which to me is just tribalism on a larger scale - brought about by our monkey pack loving primate brains.

We're all human beings and citizens of the earth - the French are not them and we are not we.

I don't know if we'll ever manage to overcome our biology though . Transhumanism anyone?

really idealist though. gonna take a while before you can convince people that stem cells != human beings and that nanotechnology wont result in grey goo situation and that strong AI won't result in a skynet situation (if thinking of the transhumanist route). i'd give it over 100+ years

some interesting reading
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_brain
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Spiritual_Machines
http://www.kurzweilai.net/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transhumanism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posthuman_(human_evolution)