Ray Kurzweil, Google's director of engineering, predicts an era where man and machine merge by 2045 - but the reality of the technology may be different, an Oxford expert predicts.

In the upcoming Christopher Nolan film Transcendence, Johnny Depp plays an artificial intelligence researcher who downloads his mind into a computer to cheat death - becoming immortal, and in the process, something not quite human.

Ray Kurzweil, Google’s director of engineering, predicts that by 2045, such technology will actually be here, as the invention of artificial intelligence catapults humanity into a new era - and “mind uploads” will herald immortality.

Other scientists are more cautious - but many agree a technology allowing the storage of minds outside the body is likely to arrive this century.

Predicting the advent of such technology  is easier than it is to predict the birth of artificial intelligence, says Dr Stuart Armstrong of Oxford’s Institute for the Future of Humanity.

Armstrong warns, though, that the technology will probably not arrive as early as Kurzweil’s prediction, and may be rather different from his vision of a world of artificial intelligences “merging” happily with humans.

“There is some uncertainty about mind-uploading,” says Armstrong, “But unlike artificial intelligence, it’s based on past trends in technologies we know.”

“We can predict it based on when computers will achieve certain levels of processing power, and there we’ve got Moore’s law, predicting processing speeds. We can predict brain-scanning technology, based on past trends - and the ability of computers to knit the scanned images into a functioning model.”

“There is a probability distribution,” says Armstrong. His graph shows a probability that “peaks” somewhere around the year 2070 - 25 years after Kurzweil’s prediction.

Kurzweil’s idea of the future is somewhat different. He predicts that the ongoing increase in computing power will lead to an event he describes as The Singularity around the year 2045, where artificial intelligence will be born, and man will merge with machine and become immortal.

“Kurzweil is by far the best predictor of artificial intelligence I have ever seen,” says Dr Armstrong. “Compared to the others, he’s great. But he is not very good. He sees artificial intelligence as happening, and if AI happens properly, some form of upload is possibly part of that. He gets wishy-washy about this idea of “merging” - but at least he takes time to decompose the problem a bit.”

Armstrong says that AI enthusiasts tend to assume that increases in computing power will lead, inevitably to “intelligent” machines - i.e. computers which can assess and solve new problems by themselves, like humans. Kurzweil believes that the arrival of such machines will usher in a new era of immortal, uploaded humans.

Armstrong believes that the gulf between computers today and a “general intelligence” is far greater than AI fans believe - and says that knowing whether “uploaded” humans are conscious “opens up a lot of complex, philosophical questions.” Even in terms of basic skills, computers are still far off the capacity of a human.

“If someone from 20 or 30 years ago saw IBM’s supercomputer Watson, they would be certain that we had an AI now,” he says. “It’s a computer that can talk - and win at Jeopardy. But it solves that problem with something very different to a human mind.”

“Kurzweil is wrong because, no one is good at predicting artificial intelligence, because it’s never happened,” says Armstrong. “No one has ever built an AI. Kurzweil has this sort of hand-wavy moment where computers become better, and then AI arrives.”

Armstrong, who, with colleagues, rated the accuracy of some of Kurzweil’s previous predictions, centred on the year 2009, found that he had an (impressive) accuracy of around 42%. Kurzweil rated himself as a much more respectable 90%, Armstrong says.

Predicting the advent of AI is harder than Kurzweil and other advocates believe, Armstrong says. “It depends on when people are going to have insights,” he says, “And write algorithms that do AI. We don’t know what insights they need to have. Predicting that is very hard.”

Armstrong says that the temptation to imagine that AIs will be similar to us is a mistake. “They might be extremely alien,” he says. “They  might have tastes completely incomprehensible to us.”

What is certain is that we will continue to merge with technology - but not in the cyber-Utopian way that Kurzweil imagines.

“We’re already merging with the machines in a lot of ways, if you were to go without your cellphone, you would find life a lot harder,” he says. “We have much less mastery of facts thanks to Google and Wikipedia. We’re restructuring our brains, and have developed the skills to use these tools - like we’ve outsourced a part of our minds.”

“Even if artificial intelligences and uploads never happen, we’re going to merge with technology - a soft merging,” says Armstrong. “Brain interfaces, where brains connect to computer components are undoubtedly going to get better. But the idea that suddenly we’ve outsourced enough of ourselves, there will suddenly be AI's out there - you cannot assume that.”

Everything in modern filmmaking is making the transition from analog to digital: sound, editing, visual effects, cinematography. And soon, maybe even our movie stars.

That's how it looks in the new poster for "Transcendence," the upcoming science fiction thriller with its roots in the real theories of how man and machine may someday come together. Depp plays Dr. Will Caster, a brilliant scientist working towards the singularity — or what he calls "transcendence" — where computers become so advanced they can perfectly replicate or even exceed the capacity of a human brain.

When an anti-technology activist shoots Dr. Caster to derail his research, his wife (Rebecca Hall) insists on making him the first subject of the experiment. But her efforts to keep his intelligence alive after his body dies creates a new and unpredictably dangerous form of life.

"Transcendence" marks the directorial debut of Wally Pfister, who is the Oscar-winning cinematographer of Christopher Nolan's films "Inception," "The Prestige" and "The Dark Knight" trilogy. And while his film takes place on the edge of the technological frontier, Pfister still prefers to do some things the old-fashioned way. Pfister has always insisted on shooting with film and not digital cameras.

"Transcendence" open April 18.

Principal photography has begun on “Someone Marry Barry,” a raucous comedy written and directed by Academy Award©-nominee Rob Pearlstein, starring Tyler Labine, Damon Wayans, Jr., Lucy Punch, Hayes MacArthur, Thomas Middleditch, Frankie Shaw and Amanda Lund. Producers are Josephson Entertainment’s Barry Josephson along with Marisa Polvino and Kate Cohen, of Straight Up Films. Executive producers are Josephson Entertainment vice-president Alexander Young, Madrose Productions’ Jeremy Bailer, and Marc H. Simon at Cowan, DeBaets, Abrahams & Sheppard LLP, who packaged the project.

“Someone Marry Barry” follows three friends who plot to get rid of their socially inappropriate friend Barry by finding him a wife. But when Barry finally meets a woman, she turns out to be just like him, and now the guys have to deal with not one but two “Barrys.” Through their tribulations with this uncensored duo, the guys learn some truths about the nature of friendship and love.

“Rob Pearlstein is a truly gifted comedy writer/director and his script for ‘Someone Marry Barry’ is as inappropriate and outrageously funny as the main character of Barry – it really delivers big laughs! Also, I have a socially inappropriate friend that’s haunted me since high school; perhaps when he sees Rob’s film he’ll leave me alone… oh, and yes, that’s the bonus for us producing ‘Someone Marry Barry!’ says Josephson.

“The funniest, most outrageous characters are often relegated to the role of sidekick,” says Pearlstein. “We’re bringing those characters front and center and giving them their own love story. But the movie is also a love story between the friends, and at its heart, it’s about how friendship endures against all odds.”

Rob Pearlstein is currently writing his original feature comedy “True North” for Warner Brothers with Imagine producing and Ed Helms set to star. His writing/directing debut, “Our Time Is Up,” received an Oscar Nomination for Best Live Action Short Film. Rob has written screenplays for Universal, Focus Features, Working Title and Spyglass as well as TV pilots for NBC, USA, FOX, ABC, CBS and CW. He wrote, directed, produced and starred in the Comedy Central web series “Matumbo Goldberg,” which also starred Anthony Anderson in the title role. Pearlstein has directed commercials for clients like Mastercard, Twix and Samsung and was a copywriter for agencies including TBWA Chiat/Day, Fallon and BBDO.

Tyler Labine established a following with the cult favorite television series “Invasion,” “Reaper” and “Mad Love.” He stars in the upcoming NBC series “Animal Practice.” His feature film credits include “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” the comedy “A Good Old Fashioned Orgy,” starring Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb, Will Forte, Lucy Punch and Lake Bell, “Lumpy,” with Justin Long, and the horror-comedy “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Midnight Movie Award at the SXSW Film Festival. His upcoming films include the comedies “Cottage Country,” also starring Malin Ackerman and Lucy Punch, and “Rapturepalooza,” starring Anna Kendrick, Ken Jeong, John Francis Daley, Thomas Lennon and Rob Corddry, directed by Paul Middleditch.

Labine also produced the film “Everyone” in 2004, which won the Best Film Award at the Montreal Film Festival. He and his brother Cameron co-wrote the film “Control Alt Delete,” in which Tyler starred and produced and Cameron directed. Labine executive produced, wrote, co-directed and starred in the mockumentary “Extreme Walking.” A talented music producer and MC, Labine is part of two bands. He formed the hip hop band Self-Dep with his brother Kyle Labine, Jef Gustafson and Ryan Robbins and the electo/indie/pop band Demons are Real with his other brother Cameron.

Damon Wayans, Jr. is a series regular on ABC’s critically acclaimed show “Happy Endings,” from creator David Caspe, which was picked up for its third season. Following his breakthrough role playing the lead in Paramount’s “Dance Flick,” he was featured in Sony’s “The Other Guys” opposite Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg for director Adam McKay. He recently finished shooting the pilot episode of Keenen Ivory Wayans’ “In Living Color.” In 2006, Damon appeared in the Showtime television series, “The Underground” and served as a writer on that sketch comedy series. At the young age of 20 years old, Wayans was hired as a staff writer on the ABC hit, “My Wife and Kids.” At the time, he was the youngest staff writer on any television show.

Variety named Lucy Punch one of its “Top 10 Actors to Watch” in 2010. A native of Great Britain, Punch has appeared in such motion pictures as Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger,” Jay Roach’s “Dinner for Schmucks,” opposite Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Zack Galifianakis and Jake Kasdan’s “Bad Teacher,” with Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake. She also stars in the upcoming films “Cottage Country,” Nick Cassavetes’ “Yellow,” with Sienna Miller, Max Thieriot and Ray Liotta, and Nigel Cole’s “The Wedding Video.”

Hayes MacArthur recently starred in the upcoming feature films “Bachelorette” starring Kirsten Dunst, James Marsden, and Isla Fisher; and “The Motel Life” opposite Dakota Fanning and Emile Hirsch. He also appeared in the Warner Bros. feature film “Life As We Know It,” starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel, as well as in the DreamWorks comedy “She’s Out of My League” opposite Jay Baruchel and as a lead in the Disney feature “The Game Plan” opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

In television, MacArthur recently wrapped the Fox pilot “Rebounding” opposite Will Forte and Amanda Walsh. He also starred in the NBC comedy “Perfect Couples,” which aired in fall 2010. His additional television credits include guest starring on the critically acclaimed CBS comedy “Worst Week”, as well as guest stars roles on “How I Met Your Mother,” “Pushing Daisies” and HBO’s “Entourage”. Hayes also starred in the FBC pilot “The Adventures of Big Handsome Guy and His Little Friend,” which Hayes wrote, produced and in which he starred.

“Someone Marry Barry” marks Thomas Middleditch’s fifth collaboration with Rob Pearlstein – he appeared in Pearlstein’s web series “Matumbo Goldberg,” as well as in commercials he has directed for Twix and Samsung. One of Variety’s 10 Comedians to Watch last summer, Thomas Middleditch is on fire as of late, having recently finished filming Jay Roach’s upcoming film “Dog Fight,” starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. He also shot one of the lead roles in Josh Schwartz’ feature comedy “Fun Size” for Paramount, as well as a supporting role alongside Robert DeNiro, Julianne Moore and Paul Dano in Paul Weitz’s “Being Flynn.” He recently beat out every comedy actor in town and was cast in the title role of Nardo in “Road to Nardo,” to be directed by Scott Armstrong. Prior to that, Middleditch played the lead role in the independent comedy “Splinterheads,” opposite Rachael Taylor and played a supporting role in the Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg action-comedy “The Other Guys,” directed by Adam McKay. As a writer, Thomas has created and is voicing the roles to an animated pilot “Worst Friends Forever,” which is currently in development with John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky producing. Additionally, Thomas is one of the founding members of The Improvised Shakespeare Company and is a frequent collaborator with College Humor and Funny or Die.

Frankie Shaw portrayed cheerleader Mary Jo Cacciatore on Spike TV’s “Blue Mountain State. She appeared in Katie Aselton’s comedy “The Freebie” and in Joshua von Brown’s cult satire “Altamont Now.”

Amanda Lund stars in Nicholas Stoller’s upcoming untitled comedy for CBS, along with Michael Angarano, Adam Campbell, Christopher Nicholas Smith and Randall Park. She has appeared in several short films, including “How to Train Your Pet” and “LAPD: Pregnant Detectives,” which ran on funnyordie.com.