Earth's magnetic reversals, and risks..

[chrismb]

The Human race has yet to prove to have the right to call itself "intelligent" in respect to this planet, let alone to the universe.

Ha. OK. You got me! I thought you were being serious in the thread and you've totally suckered me in!

[CaptainBeowulf]

I don't see any reason why a sentient intellect resident in a manufactured machine would take on god like powers (unless there are some aspects of quantum information-entropy behaviour we do not understand, viz. telekinetic effects by the manipulation of information alone). No, I think that bit will remain science fiction. But could an intellect be transferred, or created within, a manufactured device? If mankind can stay alive long enough - and also maintains its technological infrastructures in the face of dimwitted disinterest - then, yes I am confident it will be so.

It doesn't do so automatically. However, theoretically it might become smart enough to enter a phase of continual self-directed evolution where it constantly builds better versions of itself. In theory, such a thing might become smart enough to understand the basic nature of the universe itself and then build devices that could manipulate matter/space-time at a basic level, essentially being able to change "reality". Look up Ray Kurzweil and "singularity".

I'm not convinced of any of this, although it strikes me as possible; I was being a bit tongue-in-cheek with my comments...