The Singularity Is Nearer: When We Merge with AI

by Ray Kurzweil

Most archaeologists estimate that the birth of human agriculture took place around 12,000 years ago, but there is some evidence that the earliest agriculture may date as far back as 23,000 years.[250] It is possible that future archaeological discoveries will revise this understanding even further. Whenever agriculture began, the amount of food that could then be grown from a given area of land was quite low. The first farmers sprinkled seeds into the natural soil and let the rain water them. The result of this inefficient process was that the vast majority of the population needed to work in agriculture just to survive. By around 6,000 BC, irrigation enabled crops to receive more water than they could get from rain alone.[251] Plant breeding enlarged the edible parts of plants and made them more nutritious. Fertilizers supercharged the soil with substances that promote growth. Better agricultural methods allowed farmers to plant crops in the most efficient arrangements possible. The result was that more food became available, so over the centuries more and more people could spend their time on other activities, like trade, science, and philosophy. Some of this specialization yielded further farming innovation, creating a feedback loop that drove even greater progress. This dynamic made our civilization possible.