1960: the year the singularity was cancelled

Abstract

In the 1950s, Heinz von Foerster developed equations predicting the end of the world in 2026, based on a model showing population growth driving technological advancement in a hyperbolic cycle leading to infinite growth. However, population growth slowed down in the 1960s, leading to the equation’s failure. Von Foerster’s model suggests that technological growth is tied to population growth, and the slowdown in population growth has resulted in a cancellation of the predicted singularity. Despite the Industrial Revolution’s attempt to compensate for lower population growth with machinery, the process of converting people into researchers slowed down. However, AI’s potential to convert money into researchers may revive hyperbolic growth by increasing research productivity and continuing the cycle of technological advancement and population growth. – AI-generated abstract.