Singularity Summit Australia 2012

Dr. Randal A. Koene, founder of Carboncopies.org gave Six talks in Melbourne and attended and participated in panels at the Singularity Summit Australia 2012 in Melbourne, August 18-19, 2012 and at Ancillary Events from August 15-17, 2012.

The Singularity Summity Australia was held in Melbourne during Australia's Science Week, 11-19 August, 2012.

The main conference was held in Melbourne at the RMIT Kaleide Theatre, Building 8, Level 2, 360 Swanston Street, Melbourne 3000 on August 18 & 19.

There were also a number of Ancillary Events (see below).

Talks at the Main Event

James Newtom-Thomas – "Convergences 3"

Dr. James Bourne – "Regenerative Medicine"

Marc Pesce – "Mid-Singular"

Dr. Marcus Hutter – "Universal AI"

Dr. Colin Hales  – The Modern Phlogiston – Why Thinking Machines don’t Need Computers"

Dr. Randal A. Koene  – "Substrate-Independent Minds"

Andrew Dun – "Zombie Rights"

Dr. David Dowe – "Turing Machines and Recursive Turing Tests"

Stelarc – "Augmented Arm"

Dr. Vic Ciesielski – "Evolutionary Art"

Dr. Marcus Hutter – "Can an Intelligence Explode?"

Dr. Randal A. Koene – "Extending Life and Staying Healthy is Not Enough"

For more information about the speakers and the talks, see the Agenda page at the Singularity Summit Australia 2012.

Panels and Activities at the Main Event

Panel: Dr. Colin Hales, Dr. Randal A. Koene and Dr. Marcus Hutter – "Intelligence and Substrates - Possibilities for the Future"

Activity: Rapid Prototyping: Future Jam Group Activity – “Social Media and Augmented Reality”

Panel: Dr. Marcus Hutter and Dr. Randal A. Koene – "Is Intelligence Computable?"

Panel: "Alan Turing – Visionary and Genuis"

Panel: "Technoshock! The Promise and the Peril in a World Radically Changing through Technology"

Ancillary Events

System Identification in Neural Circuitry

Dr. Randal A. Koene

Seminar, 2-3pm 15 August 2012, Clayton Seminar Room – Monash University Clayton

Abstract: Every aspect of modern science relies upon creating representations of things. And when we do, we pick the signals that interest us and the behavior that interests us. From that, we determine how to interpret the way input is converted into output in a system. Our description of that process is our understanding of the system. The same is true for mental processes and reverse engineering their implementation in neural circuitry.

The feasible approach to this is called (whole) brain emulation and relies on determining precisely which signals we care about and then breaking the problem down into a collection of smaller system identification problems. To tackle those, we have a roadmap that includes structural scanning (connectomics) as well as new tools for functional recording – some of which are now in development in collaboration with laboratories at MIT and Harvard. We examine the scale of the endeavor, considering such specific approaches to system identification in neural circuitry.

- Event page @ Singularity Summit Australia 2012

Science Week @ The Cathedral: A Conversation on the Transhuman Future

Dr. Mike Arnold, Rev. Dr. Stephen Ames and Dr. Randal A. Koene

Discussion and Q&A, 6pm 16 August 2012 – St Paul’s Cathedral, cnr Flinders/Swanston St., Melbourne

Abstract: The vision of a transhuman future affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to greatly enhance human intellectual, physical, and psychological capacities. The transhuman future also projects a cosmic horizon of post-human beings with godlike capacities where super intelligence saturates the whole universe. All this naturally provokes different responses: some eager to pursue, some cautious, some dismissive.

This encompassing narrative has many parallels (and differences) with a Christian narrative of the cosmos. This cathedral conversation aims at mutual understanding and critical engagement between the transhuman future, the sociology of technology and a Christian perspective.

- Event page @ Singularity Summit Australia 2012

Singularity Summit Speakers Discussion @ Embiggen Books

Dr. Randal A. Koene and Mark Pesce

Discussion and Q&A, 6:30pm 17 August 2012 – Embiggen Books, 197-203 Little Lonsdale St., Melbourne

- Event page @ Singularity Summit Australia 2012

There is a short promo-interview that Adam Ford did with Dr. Koene, though unfortunately the connection was a bit unreliable, which is noticeable in the video:

For more information about the Singularity Summit Australia 2012, its Ancillary Events and to attend, please see: http://2012.singularitysummit.com.au/

Results of the summit and ancillary events

Many videos were produced by Adam Ford, that document ancillary events, interviews and all parts of the summit.

Most of those videos are available through Adam Ford's YouTube channel TheRationalFuture: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheRationalFuture

A transcript has been made of one of these videos, a casual, brief, but effective interview that has a FAQ-like character: http://www.carboncopies.org/sim-emulation-structure-function