“It began three and a half billion years ago in a pool of muck, when a molecule made a copy of itself and so became the ultimate ancestor of all earthly life.
It began four million years ago, when brain volumes began climbing rapidly in the hominid line.
Fifty thousand years ago with the rise of Homo sapiens sapiens.
Ten thousand years ago with the invention of civilization.
Five hundred years ago with the invention of the printing press.
Fifty years ago with the invention of the computer.
In less than thirty years (from now on), it will end.”
Singularity, or the ability for a smart brain to create an even smarter brain and so on. I found an interesting article on this site and there is also an institute called Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence.
Interesting and freaky stuff.