In 2005, Ray Kurzweil wrote The Singularity is Near, which I reviewed in the Wall Street Journal here. In 2024, Kurzweil followed up with The Singularity is Nearer. (The two books are available as a set.)
In 2005 I wrote:
The Singularity is a term coined by futurists to describe that point in time when technological progress has so transformed society that predictions made in the present day, already a hit-and-miss affair, are likely to be very, very wide of the mark. Much of Mr. Kurzweil’s book consists of a closely argued analysis suggesting that the Singularity is, well, near: poised to appear in a mere three or four decades.
