I'm Futurist Dr. Stan Schatt --Ask Me Anything!

Hello and welcome.

What is your opinion on the various possible outcomes of developing Artificial Intelligence and which do you find to be the most likely scenario?

a reply to: AutumnWitch657
Well, I'm still here, so I will be able to answer the question. Your idea is something I never thought of, but given how clumsy we were in getting our story straight, I'm not sure we had the sophistication to pull it off. I think that the Cold War push for finding advanced technology for military use might be an equally good answer. Both the Soviets and us wanted to find advanced technology so we could build the ultimate weapon.

a reply to: StanSchatt

How soon will immortality be an option? or anything along that extended life span? I am on the same realm as ScientificRailgun.
25-30 years until the technology is available to the public? Please detail a bit.

What & When is the Doom or NWO that will occur? if at all?

or are we slowly transitioning towards Big Brother?Agenda 21?
Will there be Alien co-operation among st the people of earth?


Regards,

a reply to: StanSchatt

Thanks for taking the time to join us.

Do you see an alternative to fossil fuels for daily transportation in the next 10-20 years as a reality, or would the economy not be able to maintain such a paradigm shift?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
I think David Brin's ideas as expressed in Existence meld very well with Ray Kurzweil's ideas about the coming Singularity. We're already starting to see a melding of the biological and the artificial. What we haven't seen yet but could in the future is a distinct "consciousness" on the part of an artificial intelligence. Once that happens, then we might be in trouble because the question is how an artificial intelligence in its cold, dispassionate way would view humanity. Are we ready to be judged that way? The most likely scenario I see is humanity "parting" itself out as it ages and adding more and more artificial components including use of AI. At the same time, AI devices will become more human-like. Ultimately, maybe a hundred years from now, I could see the distinction between AI and human becoming hard to distinguish and even see citizenship for certain classes of AI.

Welcome to ATS sir...


Aside from Alien Tech...


Like such and such... ...



What makes you think a plan for first contact would be productive, if hypothetically, it has already happened...

Would that not suggest that this contact has been planned already, for us, rather than with us...

Do you see any futility in preparing for contact with Beings who have already dealt with the upper echelon, which if so, has a hint of the nefarious?



Thanks in advance.

Hello and welcome Dr Schatt.

My question is fairly simple and straight forward. Most people think of the future and end up with a notion of advancement into something utopian and very sci-fi based.

But there is another camp, to which I tend to belong, that tends to think history is cyclic and repetitive and that advancement tends to come with periods of extreme backtracking and de-evolution if you will. Think Rome falling and the dark ages.

Do you believe that such a cycle could or does exist? If so, would you think that our near future is rather dystopian than utopian in nature?

Thank you for your consideration and time Sir.

a reply to: SirKonstantin
I've been working on some research about longevity. There are about 4 distinct areas that need solutions for us to be virtually immortal. We're moving rapidly in that direction. When a mass media pub like Time publishes a cover story like it did recently, that means that all the research going on is starting to bubble up and the mass media is becoming aware of it. I do believe that within 100 years, people could survive so long that at least their consciousness might be considered immortal. Of course that raises questions about how we control population and resources and how we find employment and housing for younger people.

Welcome to ATS!!!


Are stargates real?

If not, do you believe they will be in the near future?

Was the Stargate movie and tv series a form of "soft disclosure" by the TPTB?

a reply to: StanSchatt

Thank you for the very comprehensive answer.

a reply to: StanSchatt

Seeing it as you seem to be one that wants to believe too:
Do you think, if an extraterrestrial species would have accomplished to get to Earth, that would also imply they managed time-travelling? Or do you prefer the more-generations ship thinking model? Is there any other possibility to travel this far through space and colonise and visit other planets without finding solutions to tackle the time dilation problem? Or would it even make any sense?

a reply to: Hefficide
I do fall more into your camp because of human nature. There are many parallels as you mentioned with Rome and other great civilizations. I think that's why some optimists like Carl Sagan wanted alien intervention to bring us the "secret" to surviving as a civilization. One of the best treatments I've seen of this rise and fall of civilizations into the future was Water Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz. I taught a class with Miller once and, believe me, he was as dark as his novel portrayed.

a reply to: StanSchatt

Thank you for the information about immortality.

I edit my post to add this second question in.

What & When is the Doom or NWO that will occur? if at all?

or are we slowly transitioning towards Big Brother?Agenda 21?
Will there be Alien co-operation among st the people of earth?

Regards,

a reply to: StanSchatt

Sorry I'm not familiar with work , so please don't take this the wrong way.

What is your PHD in and what degrees do you hold?

Also where do you see the internet going and in what time frame?

Greetings Dr Schatt,

Do you have an opinion about the New World Order conspiracy theory?
Have you ever thought about it in your field of research, as a futurist?

a reply to: Peeple
Rather than time travel which still has certain scientific limitations (at least the science we currently believe) when it comes to going forward rather than back, I'm inclined to believe more in parallel universes as forecast in the latest quantum theories. I also think the idea of being able to bend space makes sense. I don't think it would be economical to go with the many generations ship model.

Keep in mind that if we were talking to someone from the 18th century, that person wouldn't be able to fantom the idea of an airplane or car and his idea of science wouldn't support those ideas. So, I tend to believe that what we now consider impossible or magic could very well become reality after we learn more about the laws of the universe. Take the question of big bang or not. Our latest theories seem to change almost monthly.

So, let's assume some kind of bending of space as the most logical way to cover huge distances right now. I'm writing a novel right now that uses parallel universes as a key concept. The more I study the physics behind the idea, the more it fascinates me.

a reply to: StanSchatt

Ah a space bender
Thanks.

Hi StanSchatt

People talk about bending space. Do you think we could achieve time travel by bending time?

a reply to: interupt42
I have degrees in a variety of areas. I have an undergrad degree in Chemistry with a lot of biology and physics mixed in. I have an MBA and also a PhD in literature. Since my student days, I jumped into the computer industry and worked for companies like AT&T where I received advanced technology training. I spent some time as the Chairman of the Telecommunications Management department at DeVry Institute of Technology. My interest in technology led me to write and publish around 25 books on various aspects of technology including several college textbooks with publishers that sent the books out for review.

I see the Internet being integrated into people's lives even more closely than at present. I expect to see chips implanted so that people have instant access via mental commands. Couple that with VR lenses, and you become your Internet connection and the world becomes your screen. The fascinating question is what happens when the computing power behind the Internet grows as well as the sophisticated algorithms to the point that the net has a life of its own.

a reply to: YarlanZey
I honestly don't know enough about the physics behind that concept. I'm more inclined to believe we will be able to bend space than bend time. Although, my understanding of string theory suggests that all of our time exists simultaneously and we simply order it sequentially because reality makes sense that way. If that's the case, then I guess anything is possible.