The Singularity Is Near

In Chapter 9, Kurzweil engages in a systematic approach to criticism from his earlier works, including The Age of Spiritual Machines. First, he addresses the criticism that it is impractical to follow a trend of evolution forward for infinity, as a depletion of resources will always come to fruition. Kurzweil explains that the law of accelerating returns will present new technologies to replace outmoded ones and that the massive computation power of future machine intelligence will override current limitations. He then responds to a criticism of the slowness of software development with evidence of its ever-increasing advancement. As a software developer, Kurzweil has a unique perspective on this criticism. He proposes that software continues to double in time and grow exponentially.

Another criticism that states machines will never be able to replicate the complicated processes of self-replication and self-organization is dismissed; Kurzweil argues that machines are already engaging in these processes. Any criticisms and challenges faced by artificial intelligence can be eradicated by modeling technology after the human brain. Concerns about analog processing are also addressed by this assertion: Since the human brain can function both digitally and in analog, systems modeled after the brain will be able to utilize both forms of data.