Second in my series of attempts to get blogger to think I'm an "active blogger" and give me a gmail account :D

Best friends with your computer?

The title of this thread sounds like it might be a catch line for computer addicts anonymous, but it's actually a prediction of what will come in the near future. Computer development, both in software and hardware, is progressing at an ever-increasing rate, and within the next two or three decades, we will see computers catch up with and surpass us as intelligent beings.

Any skill or faculty that you can imagine a human capable of, computers, or Non-Biological Intelligences (NBI), will be able to do, and do it much better. Calculate mathmatical formulas, search through mountains of data for obscure patterns, have meaningful and intellectual conversations, create music and art, fall in love.

Skeptical? You have a right to be so. Miracles have been promised of computers in the past, and have yet to come true, but the direction and speed of progress makes these outcomes seem inevitible.

Once computers reach the capabilities of humans, they will necessarily exceed them, and by an amazing margin. Computers are already masters at storing and retrieving trillions of pieces of information rapidly and flawlessly, as well as ligntning-fast calculation. When this is combined with reasoning, creativity and patern recognition, their potential will seem unlimited from our biological perspective.

What does this mean for us? What will this future be like? Is it scary or exciting? Would you make best friends with a computer?