WEBVTT

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The speed and power
of the average computer processor

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is doubling every two and a half years.

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If this rate of progression continues,

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we could create a conscious,
self-aware computer by the year 2045,

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and this point in time
is called the singularity,

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which is the point when a computer
becomes smarter than us.

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In this talk I'll be focusing
on the fact that this computer

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could be conscious; so is this possible?

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First of all, though we don't know what
part of the brain is responsible

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for consciousness
and much less how it works,

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we do know this much;

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your brain is a computer.

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It sends signals
back and forth like wires,

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it has different parts for doing
different patterns of things,

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and it has tiny parts call neurons,

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that are very comparable
to transistors in a computer.

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There are parts for memory,
computation, sensing, and more,

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and they all communicate
with each other.

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So, for what we know,
with enough money, research, and time

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we could do this.

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And if we could do this,
couldn't aliens species do this, too?

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Imagine a super-intelligent alien species.

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This specie is thousands
of years ahead of us,

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in almost all aspects of technology.


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It decides to create
a full universe of simulation,

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accurate down to the Planck length,

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which is the smallest conceivable
distance in the universe.

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The reasons for doing something
like this could vary,

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but some possibilities are:

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one, for a dying civilization.

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To create a full universe simulation
to test ways to do things

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that could be risky and see their effects
on the universe as a whole.

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To experiment with different
possible laws of physics,

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and to see their effect
on the universe as a whole,

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or to just entertain a few individuals.

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There's also a possibility that requires
a less advanced society,

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one that is just recently passed
the 2045 singularity,

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and they are just researching
on a few people

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in a controlled simulating environment
for research and/or entertainment.

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By now you might be thinking


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that what I've been talking about
is the main idea of this talk.

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Ultimately, however, the big take-away
I would like to leave you with tonight

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is that dismissing ideas
that seem unrealistic

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does not help us solve
the major problems in the world.

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Think about it.

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So many ideas that now
have became mainstream knowledge,

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like global warming, evolution,
the existence of irrational numbers,

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the big bang theory, the fact
that the earth revolves around the sun,

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that the universe is larger
that just our solar system,

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these were all originally considered
stupid and/or unrealistic ideas.

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Statistically, there's a better chance
that they do exist but they're not,

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but it's hard to prove or disprove.

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So, remember: any idea,
no matter how unrealistic,

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isn't impossible,

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and that sometimes, to solve
the major problems in the world,

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you need to come up
with unrealistic ideas,

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as those ideas could change
the world, as we know it.

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Thank you.

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(Applause)