When algorithms control the world

[David Morris]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity

Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence
of greater-than human intelligence through technological means. Since
the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an
unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of technological
singularity is seen as an intellectual event horizon, beyond which the
future becomes difficult to understand or predict. Nevertheless,
proponents of the singularity typically anticipate such an event to
precede an "intelligence explosion", wherein superintelligences design
successive generations of increasingly powerful minds. The term was
coined by science fiction writer Vernor Vinge, who argues that
artificial intelligence, human biological enhancement or
brain-computer interfaces could be possible causes for the
singularity. The concept is popularized by futurists like Ray Kurzweil
and widely expected by proponents to occur in the early to mid twenty
first century.