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[^1]: See e.g. K. E. Drexler, Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology, London, Forth
Estate, 1985; N. Bostrom, “How Long Before Superintelligence?” International Journal of Futures
Studies, vol. 2, (1998); R. Kurzweil, The…The amount of computing power needed to emulate a human mind can likewise be roughly estimated. One estimate, based on how computationally expensive it is to replicate the functionality of a piece of nervous tissue that we have already unde…
Hans Moravec
scientist · 3 mentions across 2 readings
In this course
Hans Moravec is a pioneering roboticist and futurist known for his estimates of the computational requirements needed to emulate human cognition—a foundational calculation in debates about artificial superintelligence and mind uploading. His work appears in the course readings as a reference point for quantifying what it would take to replicate human neural function, anchoring speculative discussions about the feasibility of copying or simulating consciousness through computation. This kind of computational estimate became central to transhumanist and AI-risk frameworks that the seminar engages with in examining how technological systems imagine—and attempt to instrumentalize—human minds.
Mentioned in 2 readings
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