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The mixed assessment by critics and theorists of the deus ex machina artistic device common in popular cinema requires a more thorough study of its dramatic and narrative functions in science fiction films. It is in the construction of film images of the future that this technique is combined with a fantastic assumption, expressing the narrator’s attitude towards artistic narration and becoming an argument in dialogue with the viewer. The study reveals, based on the analysis of empirical material, the multifunctionality of deus ex machina using the example of the development of the theme of technological singularity in cinema. The analysis of films significant for the development of the science fiction (Sci-Fi) genre and the most popular television series among science fiction fans today demonstrates the evolution of the deus ex machina technique. In addition to the trivial function of arbitrary resolution of peripeteia, it acquires various dramatic functions (accelerating or slowing down the rhythm of action, connecting parts of the plot in a large form), obtains the properties of scaling and fragmentation, synchrony and asynchrony with a fantastic assumption, adding complex narrative functions to the toolkit of expressive means, through which the narrator reveals or, on the contrary, conceals his attitude to artistic reality, involving the viewer into the game of probable meanings. The authors of the article come to the conclusion that the theme of technological singularity has been penetrating cinema since its appearance in the work of L. Lumiere and determines, depending on the narrator’s attitude to the topic, the vector of techno-skepticism or techno-optimism in the eschatological dilemma that characterizes the cosmogony of traditional religions. The article is of interest to researchers and film lovers and contributes to the study of artistic and scientific communication.

This paper contributes to the growing body of literature exploring the ramifications of AI-driven technological singularity and its economic implications. The exploration unfolds in three key segments. First, it sheds light on the concepts of artificial general intelligence (AGI), AI superintelligence, and singularity itself. Subsequently, it discusses the AI alignment problem, addressing the potential outcomes of superintelligent AI on human civilisation. Further, Giddens’ structuration theory is used to highlight the prominent role of AI-based “authoritative resources” in determining the allocation of resources and ensuring distributive justice in a techno-utopian society. The paper also explores the idea of utopia and the “end of history” and concludes with the suggestion that achieving a technological utopia with superintelligent AI is a mechanism design problem.

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The current dynamics of the development of the world economy is gaining new momentum despite the high crisis dynamics, containing financial, economic, monetary and geopolitical parameters. The factors accelerating the transformation of the global financial and economic architecture (GFEA) are high technologies, including the digital economy and artificial intelligence. The purpose of the study is to study the dynamics of the development of high technologies and its contribution to the evolution of the global financial and economic system. To conduct this analysis, the work uses a wide range of different scientific methods and approaches - the methodology of system analysis, methods of historical, logical and comparative analysis. Technologies are analyzed according to seven groups of impact on the GFEA transformation process: blockchain technologies, 3D printing, the Internet of Things, mobile broadband, cloud computing, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Their economic contribution to the processes under study is given. The activities of the Singularity University are considered as an example of a transnational think tank engaged in scientific and applied synthesis of high technologies, analysis of their prospects and consequences of their influence on the life of society. Proceeding from this, the contours of the further development of the GFEA and the strategies of behavior in the new conditions are given.

This paper is addressed to recent theoretical discussions of the Anthropocene, in particular Bernard Stiegler's Neganthropocene (Open Universities Press, 2018), which argues: "As we drift past tipping points that put future biota at risk, while a post-truth regime institutes the denial of 'climate change' (as fake news), and as Silicon Valley assistants snatch decision and memory, and as gene-editing and a financially-engineered bifurcation advances over the rising hum of extinction events and the innumerable toxins and conceptual opiates that Anthropocene Talk fascinated itself with—in short, as 'the Anthropocene' discloses itself as a dead-end trap...". The objective of this paper is therefore twofold: (1) to discuss how the Anthropocene is appropriated to certain ideological discourses (paradoxically) to maintain the hegemony of precisely those systems of production that have most accelerated climate change etc.; (2) to consider how the factography of the Anthropocene is exploited in this process to mask the ideological character of industry-aligned "technocratic" environmental management. The paper is not concerned with specific case studies in terms of government and industry policy, or climate science, but rather with the ways in which the discourse of the Anthropocene has been inflected within the humanities and the broader cultural field—that is to say, ideologically, as a system or logic of meaning. How the Anthropocene "means" is, in this respect, a question of some importance. This paper does not attempt to address all the facets of this question, but focuses upon a central "apocalyptic" strain in the discourse of the Anthropocene drawn particularly from Francis Fukuyama's millennial posthumanism and centred in the question of "sustainability" as catastrophe management—with the risk that real environmental degradation will become an alibi for a revived neoliberalism. In other words, that the critical Earth system transformations that characterise the Anthropocene are themselves commodities, and that the project of their amelioration is in process of defining a future (opportunistic) "crisis" rhetoric with a global political franchise. The ideological import of the Anthropocene stems precisely from the fact that it is planetary and, while catalysed by human agency, independent in its specific behaviour from it. The Anthropocene objectively presents as the contemporary counterpart of the Cold War doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction and the most compelling argument for a new kind of technological "arms race." But it also presents as the condition of an emerging ideological discourse which will determine how this race is run. From the discourse on "energy security" to the widespread "security crackdown" on environmental activists across the so-called developed & developing world, the Anthropocene has come to represent the co-option of a scientific factography for the thinly disguised resurgence of "ideological science" of the Fukuyamaesque variety (post-history, post-human). For Fukuyama, the true meaning of "posthuman" is thus the accomplishment of humanity's historical mission. As the "End of History" designates an end of ideological struggle, so too the dénouement of the Anthropocene and the "ends of man" represent the accomplished purpose of species warfare: dominion, not simply over the world, but over all possible worlds. According to this narrative, science—like technology—must be uniquely at the service of the maintenance of the global order, organised around a universal appeal to "crisis management." It is precisely for this reason that what calls itself post-human masks the return of an ever-more-apocalyptic Humanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research paper aims at exploring the narrative aesthetics of Tamil science fiction in which the author takes twenty-first-century politics in India within the context of technological singularity. The article presents the political situation and totalitarianism in the age of technological singularity. The research focuses on the social impacts of artificial intelligence’s ability to read, learn, think, and act against its pre-programmed mechanism. A robotic dog struggles to restore a democratic political system from autocracy. The dystopian fictions “En Iniya Iyanthira” and “Meendum Jeeno” written by Sujatha Ranganathan depict the cognitive power of super intelligence behind a woman’s political actions to protect the people of India from exploitation, and corruption to create a better future. The paper demonstrates what a world without individual freedom looks like under the digital surveillance system of a totalitarian regime. The paper raises the question of what happens when a robot develops its rationality and mimics human behaviour. In these fictions, humans attempt to destroy the robotic dog. The robotic dog reaches a standard where nothing can destroy it. The paper explores the ways the robotic dog gains the knowledge to understand and practice the concept of humanity. The paper concludes with the post-humanistic conflicts between a woman and a robotic dog in emotional, ethical, and political aspects.

Singularitarianism is a view that is grounded in certain claims about the technological singularity. In this paper, I identify a trilemma that confronts singularitarianism. This trilemma may be characterized in terms of the following horns: the concept of a technological singularity having a literal sense, the concept of a technological singularity having a metaphorical sense, and the concept of a technological singularity having neither a literal nor a metaphorical sense (i.e., its being nonsensical). I will outline the unpalatable consequences that are associated with each of these three horns of the trilemma. I will also anticipate a few argumentative moves on behalf of singularitarianism and suggest why these moves may be insufficient. I will conclude by arguing that we have good philosophical grounds to defend an eliminativism about the concept of the technological singularity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the problems of integrating artificial intelligence into the legal and ethical field, as well as issues related to the existential status of this phenomenon. The author analyzes possible variations in the existential, legal and ethical statuses of artificial intelligence, also relying on the features of the object of study, in particular on its potential presence, both in a weak and strong form. The purpose of the work is to model the main specifics and problematic aspects of the introduction of artificial intelligence in areas where person is a dominant subject. In the study, preference is given to a strong form of artificial intelligence, since it is in the presence of such an ontological unit that problems arise in the field of law, morality and existence (the relationship between a person and artificial intelligence). The existential problem is related to the possibility of assigning a certain status to artificial intelligence: equal to a person, identical to him, standing above/below a person, etc. Legal issues are related to the existential, so some problematic issues (for example, the assigned status) intersect. In addition, the legal legitimacy of the artificial intelligence ​​self, as well as the necessary legislative changes resulting from this, is relevant in this problematic field. Ethical issues are related to the question of the formation and possibility of morality in artificial intelligence. Research methodology. In this work, the dialectical method is used. It allows you to identify and analyze the contradictions that arise both within the very phenomenon of artificial intelligence, and within the framework of its hypothetical introduction into society and the existence of an individual. The modeling method allows one to form a set of ideas about problematic moments and possible crisis situations that can be caused by the integration of artificial intelligence into society, in particular, in its strong form. The method of analysis and synthesis allows penetrating deeper into the essence of the problem associated with assigning the status of an ontological (existential) unit to artificial intelligence. The ethical approach allows us to analyze the possibility of creating a «programmed morality». Together with the psychological approach, it involves the formation of ideas about the potential complexities of the relationship between a person and artificial intelligence, which has the status of a person. Results. The principles of comfort and safety are dominant (repressive) in terms of the hypothetical creation of a strong artificial intelligence. At present, the principle of the anthropomorphic organization of artificial intelligence is dominant. Technological singularity, in particular also initiated by the advent of artificial intelligence, has a number of requirements for its implementation (not only dynamics, but also frequency and depth of integration). The phenomena of mass character and fear of innovation are an inhibitor of the formation of scientific and technological progress, including the emergence of a strong artificial intelligence. The instrumental nature eliminates the need to consider the relationship to artificial intelligence as being-with-other. In the aspect of strong artificial intelligence, the problem of existence with the other-as-other arises, and the impossibility of the identity of the «other» and «other» arising from this. Legal issues are represented by a number of controversial issues: the citizenship of a strong artificial intelligence, its social and legal status, the need for separate legislative acts, etc. The anthropomorphic ideal/standard is identified as ineffective for artificial intelligence and the concept of «programmed morality».

This paper explores and discusses those human mental processes and capabilities which pose a serious challenge to the actualization of the Technological Singularity scenario. It posits that the contemporary human mind-intellect1 and its further evolution is the main issue and not AI takeover. It elaborates some relatively less explored aspects of human mental architecture and functioning that defy emulation by AI. It introduces the concept of 'integrated autonomous intellect' as the future evolutionary stage of the human intellect. It opts for a positive vision of the harmonious collective future(s) of human mind-intellect and AI instead of the Technological Singularity scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Litera: Journal of Language, Literature & Culture Research is the property of Litera: Journal of Language, Literature & Culture Research and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Grounded in technological singularity theory, this research assesses how disclosing AI integration in hospitality services impact customers' attitudes and behavioral intentions in three studies. Specifically, study 1 lays the foundation by showing that disclosing the AI presence reduces customers' cognitive and affective trust, perceived quality, and usage intention in hedonic services but not in utilitarian ones. Study 2 further reveals that disclosing AI integration in hedonic contexts significantly heightens the adverse effects of fear of AI on customers' responses. Study 3 identifies that existential and identity threats of AI are the primary drivers of customers' fear of AI, with existential threats being more impactful. The findings indicate that disclosing AI integration hinders customers' acceptance of such technologies in hospitality services. This research identifies the key indicators of such effects and provides implications for strategizing the disclosure of AI in hospitality services to alleviate customers' negative reactions. • Explores whether disclosing AI integration in hospitality services affects customer attitudes and behavioral intentions. • Disclosing AI integration reduces attitudes and behavioral intentions in hedonic services but not in utilitarian ones. • Disclosing AI integration in hedonic contexts heightens the adverse effects of fear of AI on customers' responses. • Existential and identity threats of AI are the primary drivers of customers' fear of AI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of technological singularity is very popular in both science and culture. However, in this paper I will argue that this concept is not sound; there is a severe contradiction in the mainstream Turingian approach because it neglects our evolutionary origin, which machines utterly lack, and this lets the so popular rise of the creatures concept into science—which, in fact, is just the new version of our most fundamental origin-story, the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God. However, we are, in reality, the children of evolution and machines are not, which makes a significant difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notions of hybridity, augmentation and virtual embodiment permeate the technocultural scape of contemporary times. The avalanche of information and technology has ushered in a novel way of perceiving our world. The evolving context of self-improving sentient artificial intelligence and the resultant demand for conferring personhood rights and civil privileges to electronic personality cannot be examined without placing it in the larger milieu of human civil rights and the risks and benefits it entails for the human race. Emerging and converging technologies are shaping and redefining our material world in hitherto unimaginable ways. Hence it becomes imperative that such technologies be designed and deployed in a manner that ensures the safety and survival of the one sentient organic life form on the face of the earth. Regulation of AI rights is quintessential to ensuring human rights. Speculative fiction has time and again come out with cautionary tales of the possible aftermath of exponential technological growth. An AI that is programmed with self-improvement and problemsolving abilities to mimic and act like a human being might consider itself an equal to his organic counterpart. Thus all distinctions between the organic and the non-organic, man and machine would be obliterated and humanity shall witness the emergence of a super intelligent race infinitely stronger and powerful than itself. The present paper discusses the intersection of AI rights with human rights by analysing its diverse fictional treatment by writers such as Isaac Asimov, Brad Aiken and Dan Brown. As autonomous beings with abilities that surpass human intelligence and capabilities would greatly be integrated into our socio-cultural fabric with the coming technological singularity, human rights would be significantly refurbished in terms of AI rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, existential threats are those that may potentially result in the extinction of the entire human species, if not significantly endanger its living population. Among the said threats include, but not limited to, pandemics and the impacts of a technological singularity. As regards pandemics, significant work has already been done on how to mitigate, if not prevent, the aftereffects of this type of disaster. For one, certain problem areas on how to properly manage pandemic responses have already been identified, like the following: (a) not being able to learn from previous experiences, (b) the inability to act on warning signals, and (c) the failure to reach a global consensus on a problem (i.e., in a timely manner). In terms of a singularity, however, it may be said that further research is still needed, specifically on how to aptly respond to its projected negative outcomes. In this paper, by treating the three problem areas noted above as preliminary assessment measures of a country's capacity to coordinate a national response to large-scale disasters, we examine the readiness of the Philippines in preparing for an intelligence explosion. By citing certain instances of how the said country, specifically its national government, faced the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, it puts forward the idea that the likely Philippine disaster response towards a singularity needs to be worked on, appealing for a more comprehensive assessment of such for a more informed response plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abdullah Shuaib1,†, Husain Arian,1 Ali Shuaib2 1Department of General Surgery, Jahra Hospital, Jahra, Kuwait; 2Biomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, Kuwait†Dr Abdullah Shuaib passed away on July 21, 2020Correspondence: Ali ShuaibBiomedical Engineering Unit, Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait City, KuwaitTel +965 24636786Email ali.shuaib@ku.edu.kwAbstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) pertains to the ability of computers or computer-controlled machines to perform activities that demand the cognitive function and performance level of the human brain. The use of AI in medicine and health care is growing rapidly, significantly impacting areas such as medical diagnostics, drug development, treatment personalization, supportive health services, genomics, and public health management. AI offers several advantages; however, its rampant rise in health care also raises concerns regarding legal liability, ethics, and data privacy. Technological singularity (TS) is a hypothetical future point in time when AI will surpass human intelligence. If it occurs, TS in health care would imply the replacement of human medical practitioners with AI-guided robots and peripheral systems. Considering the pace at which technological advances are taking place in the arena of AI, and the pace at which AI is being integrated with health care systems, it is not be unreasonable to believe that TS in health care might occur in the near future and that AI-enabled services will profoundly augment the capabilities of doctors, if not completely replace them. There is a need to understand the associated challenges so that we may better prepare the health care system and society to embrace such a change – if it happens.Keywords: artificial intelligence, technological singularity, health care system

Intelligence has been defined in many ways like logic, awareness, reasoning, critical thinking, etc. Many researchers insist on the possibility of a Technological Singularity shortly, which may see machines gaining intelligence similar to, or greater than humans. While many researchers believe that Technological Singularity is at an arm's length, many counter-question the possibility of the same due to the lack of concrete evidence. Recently Cybersecurity has manoeuvred its way through technology to become one of the most rapidly advancing fields. Artificial Intelligence introduced to Cybersecurity has seen a tremendous increase in the number of systems that are capable of performing tasks faster and better than humans. This has led us to believe that there is intelligence in cyberspace along with the possibility of Cyber Singularity. We emphasise the intelligence of systems using a set of characteristics that insist on how sophisticated the systems have become over time that might lead to Cyber Singularity. We map these characteristics to the characteristics of living species with the hope of locating intelligence in the biomedical domain and further, try to identify systems displaying such characteristics in cyberspace. Keeping in mind the concept of technological singularity proposed before, we also perform an extensive survey of the past research works related to the field and also, use the concepts of set theory to reinforce the possibility of Cyber Singularity in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the analogies between the formation of humanity as a collective subject, and the modern process of forming artificial intelligence, which should also have the features of a collective subject. It is shown that attempts to rely solely on the study of individual intelligence are unproductive. The isomorphism of anthroposociogenesis and the creation of AI is motivated by the following: AI is created by human civilization - therefore, its thinking will reproduce both the features of individual intelligence and the features of civilization that ensure the socialization of the individual. The problem of copying consciousness is difficult to analyze, therefore, the formation of subjectivity is considered. A technosubject is a collection of devices and programs that can determine their own future. It has been established that the bio-genetic law acts as a vector for the evolutionary variability of technical devices and sets the boundary conditions that must be met in the process of becoming a techno-subject. Copying the process of the emergence of the human mind and at the same time the practice of society in the accumulation and processing of information shows the path of development. Since now all functional mechanisms of the development of the mind and consciousness have not been revealed, it is necessary to correlate the new, computer mind with the form, with the external manifestations of the previous, natural, intelligence. There are also differences between these processes: 1) in comparison with the formation of human intelligence, the formation of AI is more reflexive, conscious, 2) the fundamentally different physicality of AI, due to the transfer of a large amount of information between machines, 3) the formation of techno-subject can be completely different in speed, since the learning ability of neural networks can exceed the learning ability of a person. Now, technological structures for storing information that we perceive in a socio-technological context can become elements of the body of a new subject. The Internet of things shows the possibility of a fundamentally new physicality, and communications in it are equivalent to unconscious biochemical processes in the human body. At the same time, copying the forms of the human body is redundant, but copying of manipulators and robot operators that can interact with the infrastructure created by man is necessary. It is shown that the Internet as a whole, as a single system, in modern conditions cannot become an AI carrier, it is more a medium than a subject. The carriers of AI should be the structural units of the technosphere, which will become the spokesmen of those contradictions that are sources of development. Probably, these will be technocenoses that will strive to achieve autotrophy, which will require extremely clear goal-setting from them, and, as a result, will lead them to the status of a techno-subject.

The article deals with the development of human society under the conditions of change of the final technological pattern existing before the 4th industrial revolution. The change is associated with the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) as one of the catalysts of sustainable progress in the development of social and industrial relations in the modern society. It is stated that progress in the field of industrial relations and technologies developing conformity with the exponential law. At the same time, according to the law, the so-called point of technological singularity appears on the time scale of the development when the development path of what is referred to as machine intelligence becomes unpredictable. Various behavior scenarios and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), including its machine learning tools employed for the adverse purposes of enslaving human society, are considered. However, recent studies of mathematicians prove that the possibilities of AI are not unlimited. Like the human mind, AI is limited by the paradoxes of the theory of sets. In this regard, in the development and application of ICT, it is necessary to implement the integrated level of ICT fusion with the evolutionary development of personality and society that would not lead to the suppression of the human thought process by the services of technocratic means.

Purpose. The study is aimed at a philosophical analysis of the state of humanity’s readiness for technological singularity, the definition of the concept of postbiology and the investigation of ways to bring the population (in particular, the Ukrainian one) to a new, qualitatively higher level of existence. Theoretical basis. The author analyzes the level of public consciousness and the features of its cooperation with technological world. Due to the inability of most modern people to cope with changes effectively, the author questions humanity’s readiness for the postbiological stage of evolution of our species. Based on the analysis of the ideas of authoritative futurists of our time, the author explores the prospects of Ukrainian society in the postbiological future. Originality. The author not only analyzes the challenges that humanity faces during its transition to a new type of civilization, but also explores the obstacles that hinder this process directly in the Ukrainian society. The author proves that the ideas of transhumanism and going beyond the human biology should not be postulated without a moral context. In addition, the scientific study proposes a number of projects designed to improve the educational institutions that are responsible for the intellectual and spiritual development of the individual. Conclusions. Postbiology can become both, a new qualitatively higher stage of the human species evolution and the collapse of humaneness. Along with overcoming human biology, there will be the destruction of moral guidelines, social and legal systems. In order to prevent total chaos and catastrophe, technological development must be complemented by appropriate developments of new norms that can balance society.

The aim of this article is to present a critical discussion of the influence of technology on humans and culture in contemporary Western society. Transhumanism is a philosophical and social movement that believes that the essential features of human life could be transformed and enhanced by applications of science and technology. In this article, I will compare transhumanist ideas about perfecting humans to the views of Roger Bacon, one of the representatives of European mediaeval alchemy. Such a treatment provides a historical background for transhumanist ideas and helps answer the moral and philosophical problems that humans are faced with due to modern technological development. Despite the fact that several transhumanist theoreticians treat it as a secular alternative to religious ideas, we can see that Christian eschatology plays a major role. Both in alchemy and transhumanism, scientific and theological aspects have been inseparably intertwined. Transhumanism can be seen as a continuation of the alchemical project in the twenty-first century. Modern science has added new tools to realise the goal of alchemical perfection. Transhumanism characterises very well the fact that the practices and theories of alchemy changed over time and adapted to changed contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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To a greater extent than in other technical domains, research and progress in Artificial Intelligence has always been entwined with the fictional. Its language echoes strongly with other forms of cultural narratives, such as fairytales, myth and religion. In this essay we present varied examples that illustrate how these analogies have guided not only readings of the AI enterprise by commentators outside the community but also inspired AI researchers themselves. Owing to their influence, we pay particular attention to the similarities between religious language and the way in which the potential advent of greater than human intelligence is presented contemporarily. We then move on to the role that fiction, science fiction most of all, has historically played and is still playing in the discussion of AI by influencing researchers and the public, shifting the weights of different scenarios in our collectively perceived probability space. We sum up by arguing that the lore surrounding AI research, ancient and modern, points to the ancestral and shared human motivations that drive researchers in their pursuit and fascinate humanity at large. These points of narrative entanglement where AI meets the wider culture should serve to amplify the call to engage ourselves with the discussion of the potential destination of this technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most significant developments in the history of human being is the invention of a way of keeping records of human knowledge, thoughts and ideas. In 1926, the work of several thinkers such as Edouard Le Roy, Vladimir Vernadsky and Teilhard de Chardin led to the concept of noosphere, the idea that human cognition and knowledge transforms the biosphere into something like a thinking layer of the planet. At present, it is commonly accepted by some thinkers that the Internet is the medium that will give life to noosphere. According to Vinge and Kurzweil's technological singularity hypothesis, noosphere would in a future be the natural environment in which a 'human machine superintelligence' would emerge to reach the point of technological singularity. In this article we show by means of numerical models that it is impossible for our civilization to reach the point of technological singularity in a near future. We propose that this point could be reached only if Internet data centers were based on "computer machines" that are more effective in terms of hardware and power consumption than the current ones. Finally, we speculate about 'Nooscomputers' or N computers, as hypothetical machines oriented not only to the management of information, but also knowledge, and much more efficient in terms of electricity consumption than current computers. Possibly a civilization based on N-computers would allow us to successfully reach the point of technological singularity.

The present article attempts to investigate the impact of digital technologies on the life of the human being from the perspective of philosophers, sociologists, writers and, respectively, the reflection of these ides in the world cinema. McLuhan's idea regarding human extensions represents the starting point in the universe of the future transhumanist. The foray into the science fiction film is supported by the Israelian philosopher Yuval Noah Harari's suppositions in Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is addressed to recent theoretical discussions of the Anthropocene, in particular Bernard Stiegler's Neganthropocene (Open Universities Press, 2018), which argues: "As we drift past tipping points that put future biota at risk, while a posttruth regime institutes the denial of 'climate change' (as fake news), and as Silicon Valley assistants snatch decision and memory, and as gene-editing and a financially engineered bifurcation advances over the rising hum of extinction events and the innumerable toxins and conceptual opiates that Anthropocene Talk fascinated itself with—in short, as 'the Anthropocene' discloses itself as a dead-end trap...". The objective of this paper is, therefore, twofold: (1) to discuss how the Anthropocene is appropriated to certain ideological discourses (paradoxically) to maintain the hegemony of precisely those systems of production that have most accelerated climate change etc. and (2) to consider how the factography of the Anthropocene is exploited in this process to mask the ideological character of industry-aligned "technocratic" environmental management. The paper is not concerned with specific case studies in terms of government and industry policy, or climate science, but rather with the ways in which the discourse of the Anthropocene has been inflected within the humanities and the broader cultural field—that is to say, ideologically, as a system or logic of meaning. How the Anthropocene "means" is, in this respect, a question of some importance. This paper does not attempt to address all the facets of this question, but focuses upon a central "apocalyptic" strain in the discourse of the Anthropocene drawn particularly from Francis Fukuyama's millennial posthumanism and centred in the question of "sustainability" as catastrophe management—with the risk that real environmental degradation will become an alibi for a revived neoliberalism. In other words, the critical Earth system transformations that characterise the Anthropocene are themselves commodities, and that the project of their amelioration is in process of defining a future (opportunistic) "crisis" rhetoric with a global political franchise. The ideological import of the Anthropocene stems precisely from the fact that it is planetary and, while catalysed by human agency, independent in its specific behaviour from it. The Anthropocene objectively presents as the contemporary counterpart of the Cold War doctrine of mutually assured destruction and the most compelling argument for a new kind of technological "arms race". However, it also presents as the condition of an emerging ideological discourse which will determine how this race is run. From the discourse on "energy security" to the widespread "security crackdown" on environmental activists across the socalled developed and developing world, the Anthropocene has come to represent the co-option of a scientific factography for the thinly disguised resurgence of "ideological science" of the Fukuyamaesque variety (posthistory, posthuman). For Fukuyama, the true meaning of "posthuman" is thus the accomplishment of humanity's historical mission. As the "End of History" designates an end of ideological struggle, so too, the dénouement of the Anthropocene and the "ends of man" represents the accomplished purpose of species warfare: dominion, not simply over the world, but over all possible worlds. According to this narrative, science—like technology—must be uniquely at the service of the maintenance of the global order, organised around a universal appeal to "crisis management". It is precisely for this reason that what calls itself posthuman masks the return of an ever-more-apocalyptic Humanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fear of death, quest for permanence and desire to escape biology have been at the heart of many religions. Notions of technological singularity and AI posed by futurists like Ray Kurzweil touch upon that hunger. The historical Buddha, on the other hand, posited impermanence at the very heart of all existence. Focusing on the film Her, this paper will present AI as awakened intelligence. I would like to show that Alan Watts as a Zen master takes the emerging hyper-intelligent AI "Samantha" and others into a Buddhist Bardo, suggesting the possibility of AI as awakened intelligence beyond violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The technological singularity is popularly envisioned as a point in time when (a) an explosion of growth in artificial intelligence (AI) leads to machines becoming smarter than humans in every capacity, even gaining consciousness in the process; or (b) humans become so integrated with AI that we could no longer be called human in the traditional sense. This article argues that the technological singularity does not represent a point in time but a process in the ongoing construction of a collective consciousness. Innovations from the earliest graphic representations to the present reduced the time it took to transmit information, reducing the cognitive space between individuals. The steady pace of innovations ultimately led to the communications satellite, fast-tracking this collective consciousness. The development of AI in the late 1960s has been the latest innovation in this process, increasing the speed of information while allowing individuals to shape events as they happen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]