Will a computer ever successfully impersonate a human? Ray Kurzweil thinks so. In fact, the prominent technologist placed $20,000 on a bet that predicts a machine will pass the “Turing Test” by 2029.



Microsoft’s Craig Mundie has bet $2,000 that by 2030, commercial passengers will routinely fly in pilotless planes.

Supercomputer pioneer Danny Hillis has wagered $2,000 that the universe will eventually stop expanding.



These are just some of the bets put down by high-profile technologists, futurists and entrepreneurs on a new nonprofit website, The Long Bets Foundation.

Long Bets is a spinoff of the Long Now Foundation, which is undertaking a variety of very long-term projects such as the 10,000-year clock and the Rosetta Project.