Prophet, futurist, or catalyst of chaos? Ray Kurzweil believes that innovations in biogenetics and nanotechnology are creating a new future for humanity, but could they just as easily destroy us all?

There’s a scene near the opening of Transcendent Man, the 2009 documentary on futurist Ray Kurzweil, showing archive footage of the then-17-year-old’s appearance on panel show I’ve Got a Secret. Suited and smiling, exuding the… read more

How to Create a Mind by Ray Kurzweil: #56 on USA Today’s Best-Selling Books list for the week of November 22, 2012.

Sunday: Ray Kurzweil lecture | Ray Kurzweil has been described as “the restless genius” by The Wall Street Journal, and “the ultimate thinking machine” by Forbes. Kurzweil hits the Smith Center stage as a part of the Audi Speaker Series, discussing his latest book, How to Create a Mind. Tickets are $24-$59 and the event starts at 7:30 p.m.

When: Sunday, Jan. 27,… read more

In 1963, in the depths of the Cold War, all of the futurists in the world could probably assemble in a largish conference room and still have space for an overhead projector. Half a century later, it would take a small stadium to hold all of the people who use the title in some form.

The world of futures is a broad church today populated by… read more

Several projects are trying to reverse-engineer the brain. In How to Create a Mind, futurist Ray Kurzweil champions their cause.

When it comes to the human brain, many scientists believe that we are incapable of understanding how it works because we lack the tools and intelligence to measure its mind-blowing complexity. Others are starting to question that notion, and to subtly redefine the task. In How to Create a… read more