Transcendence

1

They say there's power in Boston.

Some phone service in Denver.

But things are far

from what they were.

Maybe it was all inevitable.

An unavoidable collision between

mankind and technology.

The Internet was meant to make

the world a smaller place.

But it actually feels

smaller without it.

I knew Will and Evelyn

Caster better than anyone.

I knew their brilliance.

Their dedication to

what they believed in.

And to what they loved.

The time has come for us to pause

And think of living as it was

Into the future we must cross

Must cross

I'm not sure what the point is.

Copper shields the

electromagnetic radiation.

Yeah, I know how it works.

I'm asking "Why?"

Sanctuary.

Nothing gets through.

No signals of any kind.

- You see? Dead zone. Nothing.

- Uh-huh.

Sure, but you could

just turn it off.

Yeah, but fewer distractions is

what you wanted, right? Isn't it?

Yeah. That's what I wanted.

- Come on. We'll be late.

- For what?

- Hey, you know what?

- What?

I really think I'm starting

to make progress on this.

Hey. You need to get dressed.

I don't know why you

bother with these proofs.

Only three people in

the world even care.

Because it's fun.

- You sure you're up for this?

- No. Not remotely.

Really? Will, it's important.

I know, but your donors are fools.

They sit there in a daze, waiting for

me to say "commercial application."

It kills me.

Well, the "fools" there today could

fund us for the next five years.

Then I suppose in that case I

have every reason to behave.

Yes.

But if this goes well, please

you have to promise me

that I'll never have

to do this ever again.

- Never. Promise.

- Okay, I promise.

- Really?

- Sure, I promise.

Ha, ha. You're lying.

Happy birthday, dear Erin

Happy birthday to you

Jason. Other side of the stage.

You'll do a camera and

sound check together.

You'll do the first block,

followed by McRae, Llewellyn.

- And, ah, then the main event.

- Max.

- Ev, how are you?

- Good.

- Ready to sing for your supper?

- I'm sorry to put you through it.

Dr. Caster? Sorry. Would you mind?

Sure thing.

Thanks.

You have groupies?

Why don't I get groupies?

Excuse me. Dr. Waters, would

you like to do a run-through?

- Yes. I'll see you backstage.

- All right.

...Important distinction.

This created brain

is self-sustaining.

And it's capable of

emotional expressivity...

and of self-awareness.

The effort to develop a strong

artificial intelligence...

has led to significant advancements

in the field of neural engineering...

as well as our understanding

of the human brain.

But while some focus on the still-distant

dream of a thinking computer...

I believe the journey...

to be more important

than the destination.

My priority is to use my

colleagues' accidental insights...

to develop new methods for the

early detection of cancer...

and in the hopes of finding

a cure fer Alzheimer's.

Simply put, to save lives.

"A new type of thinking

is essential...

if mankind is to survive and

move toward higher levels."

Albert Einstein said that

more than 50 years ago.

And it couldn't be more

relevant than it is today.

Intelligent machines

will soon allow us...

to conquer our most

intractable challenges.

Not merely to cure disease, but

to end poverty and hunger.

To heal the planet.

And build a better

future for all of us.

I don't know anybody who is doing

more to make that future a reality...

than our next speaker. But then

again, I'm probably biased.

Please welcome my partner

in science and in life...

Dr. Will Caster.

Thank you very much.

My wife has always been

eager to change the world.

But I'll just settle for

understanding it first.

For 130,000 years...

our capacity for reason

has remained unchanged.

The combined intellect

of the neuroscientists,

engineers, mathematicians and...

hackers...

in this auditorium...

pales in comparison to

even the most basic AI.

Once online, a sentient machine will

quickly overcome the limits of biology.

And in a short time, its analytical

power will be greater...

than the collective intelligence...

of every person born in

the history of the world.

So now imagine such an entity...

with a full range of human

emotion. Even self-awareness.

Some scientists refer to

this as "the Singularity."

I call it "Transcendence."

The path to building such

a super-intelligence...

requires us to unlock the most

fundamental secrets of the universe.

What is the nature

of consciousness?

Is there a soul?

And if so, where does it reside?

Dr. Caster?

Yes, sir? You have a question?

So you want to create a god?

Your own god?

That's a very good question.

Um...

Isn't that what man

has always done?

Oh, it's relentless.

Look, and now he's, now he's

pretending he's not enjoying it.

Yap, yap, yap.

Pleasure.

Thank you.

Professor?

You're all slaves!

Hours ago, this

facility was attacked.

We can now confirm at least five people

are dead, 12 people have been injured.

This incident is related to a

series of simultaneous attacks...

that took place today in New York City,

Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C...

all of them targeting major

computer and research labs...

in the field of advanced

artificial intelligence.

So far, no one has

claimed responsibility...

No, he's all right. He was very

lucky. The bullet only grazed him.

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