In the midst of the Cold War the world's most brilliant scientist, Dr. Charles Forbin (Eric Braeden), devises a supercomputer for the Pentagon to control America's nuclear arsenal. Dubbed Colossus, this gargantuan mainframe is constructed inside a mountain in Colorado where, protected by automated defenses, it is impregnable to sabotage and attack. Its function is to detect, evaluate and respond to all strategic threats to the U.S. and her allies. Its creator hopes that with peace and freedom secured and the threat of accidental war eliminated, Colossus can then focus its attention on researching new scientific discoveries. Upon activating the vast machine, Forbin electronically seals the tomblike complex. Outside he is warmly greeted by the President of the United States (Blacula's Gordon Pinset), praising him for his monumental achievement. http://eccentric-cinema.com/cult_movies/colossus.htm Join discussion...

Futurists and science-fiction writers speculate about a time when brain activity will merge with computers. Technology now exists that uses brain signals to control a cursor or prosthetic arm. How much further development of brain-machine interfaces might progress is still an imponderable. It is at least possible to conceive of inputting text and other high-level information into an area of the brain that helps to form new memories. But the technical hurdles to achieving this task probably require fundamental advances in understanding the way the brain functions. Join discussion...

Toward Human-Level Intelligence in Autonomous Cars Join discussion...

The explosive nature of exponential growth means it may only take a quarter of a millennium to go from sending messages on horseback to saturating the matter and energy in our solar system with sublimely intelligent processes. The ongoing expansion of our future superintelligence will then require moving out into the rest of the universe, where we may engineer new universes. A new book by James Gardner tells that story. Join discussion...

September 1, 2040 - From today you have your own therapist available 24 hours a day, always there if you need someone to talk to, always in a good mood, and remembers every word you have ever said. This is the first automated therapist, with the best knowledge known to mankind on treatment and rehabilitation. It has been debated for a long time, but with the blessing of major psychological associations, the developing of artificial intelligence, and automated speech (both to recognize to, and from), the government backed free automated therapist has opened her clinic. She has basically got all the knowledge there is about psychotherapy and the human mind, and can guide the patient through the same steps as a professional therapist. Everything the patient says gets calculated in a way to get the proper response, which she of course does as fast as any human. Join discussion...