When computers take over

Abstract

What if the current exponential increase in information-processing power could continue unabated? Ray Kurzweil's vision of the future of artificial intelligence, expounded in The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology, is a big hit. Big enough to make it the “13th most blogged-about book of 2005”, in a New York Times list ( http://tinyurl.com/nmnz2 ). Our reviewer, theoretical physicist Paul Davies, recommends it as a source of exhilarating speculation, but goes on to administer the “huge dose of salt” that comes with the territory.