Ray Kurzweil’s Predictions up to 2009
[Note: Look here for Part 1: Introducing Ray Kurzweil and Part 2: The Law of Accelerating Returns (Explained) and Part 3: Ray Kurzweil’s Six Epochs of my series on Ray Kurzweil.]
Since introducing you to Ray Kurzweil in Part 1 of this blog series, I hope parts 2 and 3 exposed you to Ray’s unique perspective on technology, evolution, the universe, and if I was successful, at least piqued your interest in this amazing scientist.
So now let’s delve into the heart of his vision: the predictions that have made him both a celebrated and controversial scientist! I can’t claim this is an exhaustive list. It seems every time I Googled his predictions, I found something new. But I think I have captured enough to make it an interesting read.
For ease of reading I have listed his predictions in table format. The first table below contains his predictions for things that should have come to pass by the year 2000; for example, predictions regarding wireless networking, online education, wearable tech, etc. This is followed by predictions that should have happened by 2009; for example, biotech, 3D printing, cloud computing and more.
The second table, in Part 5, contains his predictions for the 2020’s, 2030’s and beyond, which is where things get more interesting because they are things that are now in our future. For example, nanotech, virtual reality, brain-computer interfaces, fusion power, quantum computing, uploading consciousness to a machine and more. I rate each prediction for accuracy and include notes for commentary.
Just to reiterate, Ray Kurzweil is not some kind of Nostradamus. He’s not a prophet. He’s not a quack of any kind. Does he have some mind-bending ideas about what our future holds for us? Yep, he sure does! But that doesn’t make him crazy or mean he should be looked at with derision. What Ray is attempting to do is to paint a vision of the future of humanity, a future that is far beyond our current imagination. Whether we agree with him or not, we can’t fault him for his effort.
When you read Part 5 and finish this series, perhaps you will join me in pondering whether we are truly on the verge of a transformative era, or whether Ray’s predictions are simply the product of an overly active scientific optimism. Hmm.
I hope you will continue to join me as I further explore the fascinating and unsettling possibilities of AI in the future!
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[…] and Part 2: The Law of Accelerating Returns (Explained), Part 3: Ray Kurzweil’s Six Epochs and Part 4: Ray Kurzweil’s Predictions up to 2009 of my series on Ray […]