Transhumanism: New stage of evolution or the end of humanity
Many famous people in the world of technology believe that immortality is achievable. With the help of science, of course. Peter Thiel, the creator of PayPal, believes that "not trying to defeat death is against human nature," and is actively investing in companies like the Methuselah Foundation.
He is supported by co-founder and technology director of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison (Larry Ellison), who does not understand the willingness of people to put up with the fact that they are mortal. Google co-founders Larry Page (Larry Page) and Sergey Brin (Sergey Brin), like Mark Zuckerberg, also invest in life extension research.
The followers of the transhuman movement are confident that a person will be able to evolve (despite all the physical and mental limitations) into a “superman” and eventually achieve immortality.
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/ photo Logan Ingalls CC
One solution to the problem was suggested by Raymond Kurzweil, who believes that a person can become immortal after 30 years, transferring his mind to a computer. And the first steps in this direction have already been made. Bina48 is a robotic head that looks and speaks like a man and is a “copy” of a real woman - Bina Aspen.
The robot loaded the memories, feelings, political views of the real Bina. The robo-head can keep up the conversation and demonstrate an emotional response, joking and even philosophizing. Bina48 also has the ability to learn: her vocabulary and knowledge continues to grow with each day of communication with people. Although she currently has no body, her head alone can express more than 64 emotions that are based on information generated and received from outside.
But digital immortality is also associated with many ethical issues. For example, the futurist and CEO of the successful biotechnology company United Therapeutics, which created Bina48, Martin Rotblat (Martine Rothblatt) is seriously concerned about the rights of digital people and their possible discrimination.
Rotblat is confident that the denial of the achievement of consciousness in cars in the future is equivalent to the denial of human evolution. Human consciousness is explained only by the presence of neural connections and the interaction of atoms in the brain. Therefore, computers can be conscious - this fact only confirms that we live in the material world.
Every day, people upload information about themselves to social networks, creating so-called mind-files. The appearance of a program that would process this data and act as a kind of prosthesis that helps create a virtual consciousness and thinking is only a matter of time.
Although it is unlikely that inequalities can be avoided: most people today are convinced that artificial intelligence cannot be considered human. Therefore, Rotblat proposes to conduct a serious procedure for recognizing such intelligence as conscious, which may include a year of communication with psychiatrists.
But artificial intelligence does not need to copy someone's personality, it may well develop independently. One of the latest developments in this area is the Japanese robot Alter, which is based on a neural network. It has built-in various sensors that determine the humidity, temperature and even the number of people in the room, which affects the behavior of the robot. The creators of Alter, scientists from the University of Tokyo and Osaka University, point out that he doesn’t look and move like a human, but creates the illusion of humanity.
As for Ilona Mask, the founder of SpaceX, he sees the future of humanity in introducing a digital chip into the brain, which would act as a wireless interface for communicating with a computer. This approach will increase the level of human intelligence in order to keep up with the development of AI. It should be noted that if the improvement of the brain is not yet available to the person, the implantation of the chips in the body has already become a reality.
For example, RFID and NFC chips today can be easily purchased from an online store. The creator of the project Dangerous Things Amal Graafstra (Amal Graafstra) believes that such implants - the next step in human evolution. Recently, the Internet circled the video where Andreas Sjostrem (Andreas Sjöström), vice president of IT company Sogeti, went through all levels of registration and security control using an NFC chip implanted in his left hand.
It is possible to expand the abilities of the human body with the help of prostheses of the new generation. Already today, scientists are developing prostheses that are directly related to the nervous system. With the help of 3D printing, individual artificial limbs and internal organs are made for transplantation.
In the future, not only people with disabilities will be able to use prostheses and other bionic agents. But even here there is an ethical side to the question: in which cases it will be possible to replace healthy limbs with artificial ones? And will man remain human?
One of the directions of transhumanism is also biohacking. For only $ 199, any person can order a DNA test to learn about their health and possible genetic diseases. With the help of DNA research, scientists even try to understand the nature of depression.
The international project "Human Genome" - the most famous research in the field of DNA. Determining the structure of human genes is an important step for developing new drugs and developing other areas of health care. But this project does not neglect the ethical, legal and social aspects of DNA decryption: there have already been cases of genetic discrimination in the insurance industry.
But understanding genetic information is only the first step towards a perfect person. Today, technologies are being developed that will allow scientists to change the genome with unprecedented accuracy. For example, the CRISPR-Cas system, which can be used in medicine for the treatment of hereditary diseases. It is also worth noting that for the first time in the world, Chinese scientists have already used modified genes for the treatment of cancer.
Despite all the ethical complexities and the ambiguous attitude of society towards the ideas of transhumanism, the main issue remains the availability of an alternative form of evolution. Who can become a "superman" in the future? Unfortunately, the forecasts are disappointing for now, since today the cost of a robotic heart is $ 200,000. Perhaps the improvement of mental and physical abilities, the cure of genetic diseases and the creation of a virtual copy will be affordable only for the privileged segments of the population.
Even more of our materials on the topic: IaaS-digest - 25 materials on the transformation of technology and business .
He is supported by co-founder and technology director of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison (Larry Ellison), who does not understand the willingness of people to put up with the fact that they are mortal. Google co-founders Larry Page (Larry Page) and Sergey Brin (Sergey Brin), like Mark Zuckerberg, also invest in life extension research.
The followers of the transhuman movement are confident that a person will be able to evolve (despite all the physical and mental limitations) into a “superman” and eventually achieve immortality.
')
/ photo Logan Ingalls CC
Digital immortality
One solution to the problem was suggested by Raymond Kurzweil, who believes that a person can become immortal after 30 years, transferring his mind to a computer. And the first steps in this direction have already been made. Bina48 is a robotic head that looks and speaks like a man and is a “copy” of a real woman - Bina Aspen.
The robot loaded the memories, feelings, political views of the real Bina. The robo-head can keep up the conversation and demonstrate an emotional response, joking and even philosophizing. Bina48 also has the ability to learn: her vocabulary and knowledge continues to grow with each day of communication with people. Although she currently has no body, her head alone can express more than 64 emotions that are based on information generated and received from outside.
But digital immortality is also associated with many ethical issues. For example, the futurist and CEO of the successful biotechnology company United Therapeutics, which created Bina48, Martin Rotblat (Martine Rothblatt) is seriously concerned about the rights of digital people and their possible discrimination.
Rotblat is confident that the denial of the achievement of consciousness in cars in the future is equivalent to the denial of human evolution. Human consciousness is explained only by the presence of neural connections and the interaction of atoms in the brain. Therefore, computers can be conscious - this fact only confirms that we live in the material world.
Every day, people upload information about themselves to social networks, creating so-called mind-files. The appearance of a program that would process this data and act as a kind of prosthesis that helps create a virtual consciousness and thinking is only a matter of time.
Although it is unlikely that inequalities can be avoided: most people today are convinced that artificial intelligence cannot be considered human. Therefore, Rotblat proposes to conduct a serious procedure for recognizing such intelligence as conscious, which may include a year of communication with psychiatrists.
But artificial intelligence does not need to copy someone's personality, it may well develop independently. One of the latest developments in this area is the Japanese robot Alter, which is based on a neural network. It has built-in various sensors that determine the humidity, temperature and even the number of people in the room, which affects the behavior of the robot. The creators of Alter, scientists from the University of Tokyo and Osaka University, point out that he doesn’t look and move like a human, but creates the illusion of humanity.
Refined person
As for Ilona Mask, the founder of SpaceX, he sees the future of humanity in introducing a digital chip into the brain, which would act as a wireless interface for communicating with a computer. This approach will increase the level of human intelligence in order to keep up with the development of AI. It should be noted that if the improvement of the brain is not yet available to the person, the implantation of the chips in the body has already become a reality.
For example, RFID and NFC chips today can be easily purchased from an online store. The creator of the project Dangerous Things Amal Graafstra (Amal Graafstra) believes that such implants - the next step in human evolution. Recently, the Internet circled the video where Andreas Sjostrem (Andreas Sjöström), vice president of IT company Sogeti, went through all levels of registration and security control using an NFC chip implanted in his left hand.
It is possible to expand the abilities of the human body with the help of prostheses of the new generation. Already today, scientists are developing prostheses that are directly related to the nervous system. With the help of 3D printing, individual artificial limbs and internal organs are made for transplantation.
In the future, not only people with disabilities will be able to use prostheses and other bionic agents. But even here there is an ethical side to the question: in which cases it will be possible to replace healthy limbs with artificial ones? And will man remain human?
DNA Breaking
One of the directions of transhumanism is also biohacking. For only $ 199, any person can order a DNA test to learn about their health and possible genetic diseases. With the help of DNA research, scientists even try to understand the nature of depression.
The international project "Human Genome" - the most famous research in the field of DNA. Determining the structure of human genes is an important step for developing new drugs and developing other areas of health care. But this project does not neglect the ethical, legal and social aspects of DNA decryption: there have already been cases of genetic discrimination in the insurance industry.
But understanding genetic information is only the first step towards a perfect person. Today, technologies are being developed that will allow scientists to change the genome with unprecedented accuracy. For example, the CRISPR-Cas system, which can be used in medicine for the treatment of hereditary diseases. It is also worth noting that for the first time in the world, Chinese scientists have already used modified genes for the treatment of cancer.
Despite all the ethical complexities and the ambiguous attitude of society towards the ideas of transhumanism, the main issue remains the availability of an alternative form of evolution. Who can become a "superman" in the future? Unfortunately, the forecasts are disappointing for now, since today the cost of a robotic heart is $ 200,000. Perhaps the improvement of mental and physical abilities, the cure of genetic diseases and the creation of a virtual copy will be affordable only for the privileged segments of the population.
Even more of our materials on the topic: IaaS-digest - 25 materials on the transformation of technology and business .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/310634/
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