Another interview, this one with the folks at disinfo.com. We talk about nightmare scenarios, the recent surge of interest in the dangers of artificial intelligence, and more.

An excerpt from the book, in which we try to summarize the various types of criticisms of transhumanism.

This is a very fun interview by George Dvorsky about the book on io9. Sorry, self-serious Singularitarians. Jay and I both find “the rapture of the nerds” amusing.

io9: How do you respond to people who describe the Singularity as the “Rapture of the Nerds?”

R.U.: I think it’s funny! But I’m also agnostic when it comes to the Singularity. I think that people who are sure that it will happen and those that are sure that it won’t probably have similar character structures but different temperaments.

Jay: It’s a great quip, because it’s got more than a little truth in it. People enthused about any secular ideology will often think and behave in ways similar to religious zealots. I think one of the strengths of our book is that we’re not fanatical believers or cynical naysayers, so it’s a sympathetic look at these topics, but we’re not afraid to raise an eyebrow when we think it’s warranted.

We’ll be talking about the book at Green Apple Books (506 Clement St., San Francisco) at 7:00 p.m. Friday, January 30th. They’d like attendees to R.S.V.P. on their Facebook events page, but it’s not required. 

On January 2nd, R.U. and I were interviewed live for two hours on the Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis radio show. Approximately one million listeners heard us answer questions and talk about the book. You can listen to or download the show on SoundCloud, and so far over 16,000 over 19,000 people have already done so. Thanks to Clyde and his staff for a good interview.