Singleton
A singleton is a hypothetical world order in which a single decision-making agency holds power at the highest level. The philosopher Nick Bostrom defined the term in a 2005 note, "What is a Singleton?", as "a world order in which there is a single decision-making agency at the highest level".[1]
Forms
Bostrom described several forms a singleton could take, including "a democratic world republic", "a world dictatorship", "a friendly superintelligent machine", a "transcending upload" that achieves world domination, or "the universal spread of a single self-enforcing moral code".[1]
Advantages and risks
Bostrom argued that a singleton could prevent "dangerous arms races that could cause enormous destruction or even extinction", a race to colonize space that would waste resources, and evolutionary pathways that lead to dystopian outcomes. He also set out the main danger: "A major risk with creating a singleton is that it would turn out to be a bad singleton", since "if a singleton goes bad, a whole civilization goes bad".[1]
In his 2014 book Superintelligence, Bostrom considered how an artificial intelligence that gained a "decisive strategic advantage" over all rivals could use it to form a singleton.[2] The idea is central to debates over AI governance: critics of AI-safety regulation argue that concentrating control of advanced AI in a single state or company would itself create a dangerous singleton.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nick Bostrom (2006). "What is a Singleton?". Linguistic and Philosophical Investigations. Retrieved November 12, 2026.
- ↑ Katja Grace (October 28, 2014). "Superintelligence 7: Decisive strategic advantage". LessWrong. Retrieved November 12, 2026.