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Hits the nail on the head. Kurzweil now works for Google and the whole industry -- Google, Facebook, Microsoft ... loves AI The singularity is complete bullshit created by a highly decorated scientist/inventor. There is so much projection involved in predicting it that only someone who is completely brainwashed would buy into it. However, the idea fits in so well with the grwoth trajectory of the IT industry that the people who move the industry are completely in support of it. It is wishful thinking though and it serves to glorify the achievements of the IT industry way beyond where reality stands.

> Because they believe that they have arrived at their beliefs scientifically, anyone who disputes their ludicrous conclusions must be irrational.

So they don't understand science at all but claim to use it. Typical. Singularitarians are a new version of scientologists which are a new version of mormons which are a new version of protestants or siekhs which are a new version of ... You get the point. Different details, same dumb stupidity and desire to control, use, and take advantage of others. It's just interesting to see such groups at different stages of their development and how the wider society around them responds. Typically there seems to be more acceptance as these religions get older, which is hardly surprising given humans' proclivity towards blind tradition following even when such blind following is dangerous. Humans have a hard time being skeptical of even the dumbest ideas if they are codified in tradition and this is something that such religions rely on to become established over time. Such religions usually survive in the long term if they can make it past a generation or a few decades and establish themselves as tradition, something singularitarianism is struggling heavily with currently. Fascinating to see how illogical ideas and systems of control like these religions come about.

I actually think that the “singularity” in the broad sense that there will come a time in the next century or so where technology will develop too fast for human beings to keep up with it without radical changes to our way of life is almost a foregone conclusion, I don’t see how you can look at the past century and not think there will be radical changes ahead of us. It’s the idea that these changes will be necessarily positive, or that they will lead to the benefits that Kurzweil et al so desperately want, that is largely wishful thinking. The future will be beautiful and horrible in equal measure, and expect that while some things will get better, some things will get much, much worse.

I was hoping to see some well-cited figures and facts supporting the author's viewpoint, but instead was greeted by a cacophony of hyperbolic, smugly-worded, opinionated ranting of an ad hominem nature. Not sure why people on Hacker News would buy this noise. I can understand that there are arguments against the Singularity, but this ain't it.