Recent words from Elon Musk have sparked active discussions on the topic of technological singularity. The founder of Tesla and SpaceX expressed the opinion that humanity has already entered this new stage of development, predicting that 2026 will be the "year of singularity," when artificial intelligence will begin to significantly surpass human capabilities. This viewpoint sharply contrasts with the more conservative predictions of many experts, who suggest that such a leap will occur only by 2045.
Elon Musk made this statement in response to a comment from David Holz, the founder of Midjourney, who shared that modern AI technologies have allowed him to achieve more in his personal projects in a short time than in an entire decade. On the social network X, Musk wrote: "We have entered the Singularity. 2026 is the year of Singularity."
The concept of technological singularity became popular thanks to futurist Ray Kurzweil and his book "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology," published in 2005. The essence of singularity lies in the moment when artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, initiating rapid and unpredictable changes in technology and society.
However, Kurzweil himself expresses more cautious predictions. In his opinion, general artificial intelligence may be achieved around 2029, while full singularity will not occur before 2045. By that time, according to his calculations, non-biological intelligence will be a billion times more powerful than all human intelligence.
Musk's statement has triggered heated discussions online. Users are actively debating whether the current pace of AI development indicates the approach of an important moment or if it is merely an overly optimistic assessment of existing achievements. Some commentators are excited about the possibility of singularity, linking it to increased productivity, scientific discoveries, and potential cures for incurable diseases. However, others express skepticism, reminding of the risks of uncontrolled technological development.
This statement became known exactly one year after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed a more cautious and uncertain opinion about the situation. In early 2025, he noted that humanity is close to singularity but also emphasized the uncertainty of its consequences.
At the same time, the president and co-founder of Anthropic, Daniela Amodei, stated that the concept of "general artificial intelligence" is gradually losing its relevance. She noted that this term was originally used as a benchmark for the moment when AI could match human capabilities, but by many criteria, this threshold has already been surpassed.
