OT: Humans and machines will merge in future
- From: jazzerciser@xxxxxxxxxxx (-)
- Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:29:54 GMT
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/07/15/bio.tech/index.html
Scientists: Humans and machines will merge in future
Story Highlights
Nick Bostrom says technology will let humans manipulate their own biology
Ray Kurzweil predicts humans will be mostly non-biological by around 2030
Biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics could merge mankind with machines
Next Article in Technology »
By Lara Farrar
For CNN
LONDON, England (CNN) -- A group of experts from around the world will hold a
first of its kind conference Thursday on global catastrophic risks.
Some experts say humans will merge with machines before the end of this
century.
1 of 3 They will discuss what should be done to prevent these risks from
becoming realities that could lead to the end of human life on Earth as we
know it.
Speakers at the four-day event at Oxford University in Britain will talk about
topics including nuclear terrorism and what to do if a large asteroid were to
be on a collision course with our planet.
On the final day of the Global Catastrophic Risk Conference, experts will
focus on what could be the unintended consequences of new technologies, such
as superintelligent machines that, if ill-conceived, might cause the demise of
Homo sapiens.
"Any entity which is radically smarter than human beings would also be very
powerful," said Dr. Nick Bostrom, director of Oxford's Future of Humanity
Institute, host of the symposium. "If we get something wrong, you could
imagine the consequences would involve the extinction of the human species."
Bostrom is a philosopher and a leading thinker of transhumanism, a movement
that advocates not only the study of the potential threats and promises that
future technologies could pose to human life but also the ways in which
emergent technologies could be used to make the very act of living better.
"We want to preserve the best of what it is to be human and maybe even amplify
that," Bostrom said.
Transhumanists, according to Bostrom, anticipate an era in which
biotechnology, molecular nanotechnologies, artificial intelligence and other
new types of cognitive tools will be used to amplify our intellectual
capacity, improve our physical capabilities and even enhance our emotional
well-being.
The end result would be a new form of "posthuman" life with beings that
possess qualities and skills so exceedingly advanced they no longer can be
classified simply as humans.
"We will begin to use science and technology not just to manage the world
around us but to manage our own human biology as well," Bostrom said. "The
changes will be faster and more profound than the very, very slow changes that
would occur over tens of thousands of years as a result of natural selection
and biological evolution."
Bostrom declined to predict an exact time frame when this revolutionary
biotechnological metamorphosis might occur. "Maybe it will take eight years or
200 years," he said. "It is very hard to predict."
Other experts are already getting ready for what they say could be a radical
transformation of the human race in as little as two decades.
"This will happen faster than people realize," said Dr. Ray Kurzweil, an
inventor and futurist who calculates technology trends using what he calls the
law of accelerating returns, a mathematical concept that measures the
exponential growth of technological evolution.
In the 1980s, Kurzweil predicted that a tiny handheld device would be invented
early in the 21st century, allowing blind people to read documents from
anywhere at anytime; this year, such a device was publicly unveiled. He also
anticipated the explosive growth of the Internet in the 1990s.
Now, Kurzweil is predicting the arrival of something called the Singularity,
which he defines in his book on the subject as "the culmination of the merger
of our biological thinking and existence with our technology, resulting in a
world that is still human but that transcends our biological roots."
"There will be no distinction, post-Singularity, between human and machine or
between physical and virtual reality," he writes.
Singularity will approach at an accelerating rate as human-created
technologies become exponentially smaller and increasingly powerful and as
fields such as biology and medicine are understood more and more in terms of
information processes that can be simulated with computers.
By the 2030s, Kurzweil said, humans will become more non-biological than
biological, capable of uploading our minds onto the Internet, living in
various virtual worlds and even avoiding aging and evading death.
In the 2040s, Kurzweil predicts that non-biological intelligence will be
billions of times better than the biological intelligence humans have today,
possibly rendering our present brains obsolete.
"Our brains are a million times slower than electronics," Kurzweil said. "We
will increasingly become software entities if you go out enough decades."
This movement towards the merger of man and machine, according to Kurzweil, is
already starting to happen and is most visible in the field of biotechnology.
As scientists gain deeper insights into the genetic processes that underlie
life, they are able to effectively reprogram human biology through the
development of new forms of gene therapies and medications capable of turning
on or off enzymes and RNA interference, or gene silencing.
"Biology and health and medicine used to be hit or miss," Kurzweil sad. "It
wasn't based on any coherent theory about how it works."
The emerging biotechnology revolution will lead to at least a thousand new
drugs that could do anything from slow down the process of aging to reverse
the onset of diseases, like heart disease and cancer, Kurzweil said.
By 2020, Kurzweil predicts a second revolution in the area of nanotechnology.
According to his calculations, it is already showing signs of exponential
growth as scientists begin to test first generation nanobots that can cure
Type 1 diabetes in rats or heal spinal cord injuries in mice.
One scientist is developing something called a respirocyte, a robotic red
blood cell that, if injected into the bloodstream, would allow humans to do an
Olympic sprint for 15 minutes without taking a breath or sit at the bottom of
a swimming pool for hours at a time.
Other researchers are developing nanoparticles that can locate tumors and one
day even eradicate them.
And some Parkinson's patients now have pea-sized computers implanted in their
brains that replace neurons destroyed by the disease; new software can be
downloaded to the mini computers from outside the human body.
"Nanotechnology will not just be used to reprogram but to transcend biology
and go beyond its limitations by merging with non-biological systems,"
Kurzweil said. "If we rebuild biological systems with nanotechnology, we can
go beyond its limits."
The final revolution leading to the advent of Singularity will be the creation
of artificial intelligence, or superintelligence, which, according to
Kurzweil, could be capable of solving many of our biggest threats, like
environmental destruction, poverty and disease.
"A more intelligent process will inherently outcompete one that is less
intelligent, making intelligence the most powerful force in the universe,"
Kurzweil writes.
Yet the invention of so many high-powered technologies and the possibility of
merging these new technologies with humans may pose both peril and promise for
the future of mankind.
"I think there are grave dangers," Kurzweil said. "Technology has always been
a double-edged sword."
-----------------
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....................................................................................
Do you think technology will allow humans to transcend biology in the future?
Would you be comfortable with altering your biology? Should humans try to
reprogram their genetics? What do you think the future looks like for mankind
and machines? Share your thoughts in the Sound Off box below.
------------------------------------------------------------
Sound Off: Your opinions and comments
deaner
updated Wed July 16, 2008
So what happens to religion?
And sports?
And the arts?
And if the world's population is 20, 30 or 40 billion, where do we get the
materials and resources to make 40 billion robots?
So what happens to religion?
And sports?
And the arts?
And if the world's population is 20, 30 or 40 billion, where do we get the
materials and resources to make 40 billion robots? less
Joe B
updated Wed July 16, 2008
In 1968 2001Space Odyssey debuted in movie theaters. It showed Pan Am flying
scheduled trips to the space station living in space, and a schizophrenic
computer named HAL.
Today is 2008, the space station i ...more
In 1968 2001Space Odyssey debuted in movie theaters. It showed Pan Am flying
scheduled trips to the space station living in space, and a schizophrenic
computer named HAL.
Today is 2008, the space station is a joke of what was portrayed in the movie
and the best interaction the average Joe has with a computer is called Tom
Tom.
I find the short time table for the events described in the article a hard
sale. The use of technology to restore functionality to survivors of accidents
is a commendable cause. But just as anabolic steroids, use of prosthetic
enhancements just because is as dangerous as any other surgery like breast
enhancements, lipo or any other.
No computer processing power will ever out do the human capability to dream.
Thoughts and emotions are beyond the realm of computers. less
John
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Looking at these comments, it appears that people have the wrong idea about
the Singularity. They seem to think the scientists are saying it will be an
apocalypse (or infopocalypse), a catastrophe, a disaster. That's ...more
Looking at these comments, it appears that people have the wrong idea about
the Singularity. They seem to think the scientists are saying it will be an
apocalypse (or infopocalypse), a catastrophe, a disaster. That's all wrong.
The scientists are simply saying that the Singularity is a threshold, a border
between "pure" biological human life and hybrid human-machine life. I suppose
somebody could dread it and be afraid of it, but I think it will rock. less
Erica
updated Wed July 16, 2008
And next, they'll put us in liquid filled pods, while connected to the
consciousness. They'll harvest our eggs and sperm to grow baby humans so that
they can use us for batteries... Where is Neo?
And next, they'll put us in liquid filled pods, while connected to the
consciousness. They'll harvest our eggs and sperm to grow baby humans so that
they can use us for batteries... Where is Neo? less
John
updated Wed July 16, 2008
I suspect we'll have "reservations" like in Transmetropolitan for the "v1.0"
unmodified humans who wish to stay unmodified.
Me, I saw the Borg in Star Trek and thought "Hey, except for the loss of
individuality I could really get behind that". So I'll be first in line.
I suspect we'll have "reservations" like in Transmetropolitan for the "v1.0"
unmodified humans who wish to stay unmodified.
Me, I saw the Borg in Star Trek and thought "Hey, except for the loss of
individuality I could really get behind that". So I'll be first in line. less
jeron
updated Wed July 16, 2008
i wonder if all these wonderful new techniques will be available through
(inter)national health insurance. if not, maybe technology will only benefit
the richer 20 percent of our population who can afford the change f ...more
i wonder if all these wonderful new techniques will be available through
(inter)national health insurance. if not, maybe technology will only benefit
the richer 20 percent of our population who can afford the change from human
to superhuman. the remaining 80 percent would naturally become slaves. or
food. what color will the future superhumans be? less
Scott
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Heck, I would be willing to be the test subject for some of those
technologies. Run at a sprint pace for 15 minutes? I would love that, sit
under water without breathing for hours. Definitely. No need for SCUBA gear!
Heck, I would be willing to be the test subject for some of those
technologies. Run at a sprint pace for 15 minutes? I would love that, sit
under water without breathing for hours. Definitely. No need for SCUBA gear!
less
Shelly B
updated Wed July 16, 2008
These guys need to quit watching I-Robot. While I agree that in a hundred
years there will be many new technologies out there that we can just dream
about today, I do not believe one bit that this complete merger and ...more
These guys need to quit watching I-Robot. While I agree that in a hundred
years there will be many new technologies out there that we can just dream
about today, I do not believe one bit that this complete merger and then a
hostile take over will take place. Anything that involves medical science,
cloning, and the combination of those aspects with machinery will take at
least a hundred years to even be approved with the governments of the world.
What will the religious leaders in the world say??? ALOT!!! THIS WILL NOT
HAPPEN! less
fsand
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Merging the mind with a machine or transfering a mind into a machine may very
well work,however a thought experiment shows that it will not be the same you
that existed before the upload.It will be a copy of you but not you.
Merging the mind with a machine or transfering a mind into a machine may very
well work,however a thought experiment shows that it will not be the same you
that existed before the upload.It will be a copy of you but not you. less
Craig
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Historically people have used technology to improve their lives and standard
of living. As technology becomes more readily available it becomes more
acceptable to use it regardless of how that technology is manifested ...more
Historically people have used technology to improve their lives and standard
of living. As technology becomes more readily available it becomes more
acceptable to use it regardless of how that technology is manifested.
Look for implantable telephones and computer interfaces. When they are finally
accepted as popular devices, we will be witnessing the start of Mr. Kurzweil's
singularity.
As to changing the biological nature of humanity, it will absolutely happen.
Who wants to remain diseased or crippled? Past that, who doesn't want to be
more than they are? This, however, is not the problem.
Every technological advancement is a two-edged sword. Technology has no
intrinsic moral compass. less
harried human
updated Wed July 16, 2008
I've got no need to sprint Olympic style for 15 minutes, or sit underwater for
hours. I'm still waiting for that robot maid from the Jetsons. Oh, and that
dishwasher that loads and unloads itself. Now THAT'S technology.
I've got no need to sprint Olympic style for 15 minutes, or sit underwater for
hours. I'm still waiting for that robot maid from the Jetsons. Oh, and that
dishwasher that loads and unloads itself. Now THAT'S technology. less
Matthew
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Change has always been what our universe is about. Let's hope the revolution
doesn't end in grey slime instead of the advanced utopia described by
Kurtzweil. Personally, I'm for it - merge me Scotty!
Change has always been what our universe is about. Let's hope the revolution
doesn't end in grey slime instead of the advanced utopia described by
Kurtzweil. Personally, I'm for it - merge me Scotty! less
The Dude
updated Wed July 16, 2008
The rich and powerful elite and military industrial complexes will have full
access to these technologies, making the rest of us slaves. Do you really
think the government wants super humans walking around, exceptiona ...more
The rich and powerful elite and military industrial complexes will have full
access to these technologies, making the rest of us slaves. Do you really
think the government wants super humans walking around, exceptionally
brilliant super humans? 99.999% of Humans are incapable of being just that:
handling and harnessing great power for the good of mankind. These
nanotechnologies will not change a damn thing for the better in the end. The
more you add, the less you become human and your unique self. Face it, the
greedy and oppressive will only become superhuman tyrants lusting after the
elusive "ultimate power". God complexes in full effect, world wide. Absolutely
insane that they think this is going to help our current situation. Last time
I checked, the leaders of the world are acting like bratty kids, we're
teetering on WWIII and here we are talking about possibly making these same
people, countries, leaders potentially brilliant. It's suicide. less
Andykaps
updated Wed July 16, 2008
And will all of this technobiological hybridization be economically accessible
universally to all humans in one go? If not, are we not looking at the
possible arrival of an unintended nightmare world order? One in whi ...more
And will all of this technobiological hybridization be economically accessible
universally to all humans in one go? If not, are we not looking at the
possible arrival of an unintended nightmare world order? One in which, a few
nouveau 'techno-merged' superhumans, while enjoying their vastly superior
abilities and almost godlike powers, suddenly start looking upon the teeming
multitude of ordinary, natural beings as inferior, exploitable and ependable
resource. Sort of a slave population of sort. People who are left behind in
the an 'induced evolutionary jump' which the licky few managed to make based
purely upon artificial, dividing criterion such as belonging to the rich,
elite class. I don't mean to sound like a raving communist or a paranoid
socialist, but please will someone enlighten me whether the likely impact of
human economics on the next round of 'unnatural selection' for the survival of
the fittest in this neo-evolutionary drama has been studied and factored in or
not? Will economics decide who will are to be the gods and who the godfearers
in the future Post Singularity? less
TechnoHippie
updated Wed July 16, 2008
I've been saying for 25 years that biology and computers will merge.
Eventually a computer chip in your brain that holds all information known to
mankind, communications with everyone and everything at the same time. ...more
I've been saying for 25 years that biology and computers will merge.
Eventually a computer chip in your brain that holds all information known to
mankind, communications with everyone and everything at the same time..blah
blah blah...anywone that thinks these things wont happen has their head in the
sand. 20 years? I think probably more like 50, but yeah here it comes. less
daniel
updated Wed July 16, 2008
I'm not exactly an expert on this but all this research into nanotechnology
and such sounds like a good idea to me... But how many people would actually
want to implant small robots into their body that may malfunctio ...more
I'm not exactly an expert on this but all this research into nanotechnology
and such sounds like a good idea to me... But how many people would actually
want to implant small robots into their body that may malfunction and do more
harm than good? Not to mention price of all this human augmentation has been
mentioned once. It seems to me whenever these new technologies come out to the
public only the richest of the rich can afford them. Perhaps 50 years after
these technologies are introduced will they be affordable to the upper-middle
and middle class people of the world. less
Phix
updated Wed July 16, 2008
I think Kurzweil is underestimating the difference in the ways that computers
function as opposed to brains. Computers function far faster as a sort of
playback machine, but do not form independent or unprogrammed ne ...more
I think Kurzweil is underestimating the difference in the ways that computers
function as opposed to brains. Computers function far faster as a sort of
playback machine, but do not form independent or unprogrammed networking
between pieces of information. The brain's structure of memory storage is also
completely different, more as a strengthened circuitry than as "bits" of
information stored in a specific place. A complete melding of brain and
computer would take radical changes on the part of computer structure and
programming (since it would be impossible to change the human brain, at this
point, in a way that would allow for a half-way point meeting).
It is, however, possible that Kurzweil has thought of these problems and has
addressed them at far greater length in the book. Has anyone here read it yet?
less
AW
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Doesn't anybody remember the robot from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He
was so bored with life by the end of the series that he just shut off and
died. Maybe immortality with endless and instantaneous knowledge s ...more
Doesn't anybody remember the robot from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He
was so bored with life by the end of the series that he just shut off and
died. Maybe immortality with endless and instantaneous knowledge sounds
exciting to some, but it sounds incredibly boring to me. Look at your
computer. Does it seem excited to see you? less
Chris
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Donna Haraway's seminal "Cyborg Manifesto" makes these sorts of predictions.
Regardless of whether or not these predictions actually come to pass, their
moral and ethical implications need to be carefully examined bef ...more
Donna Haraway's seminal "Cyborg Manifesto" makes these sorts of predictions.
Regardless of whether or not these predictions actually come to pass, their
moral and ethical implications need to be carefully examined beforehand. In
humanity's race to extend and improve our ourselves, we could find that we've
forfeited the essence of what it means to be truly human.
Just because we can do something doesn't mean we should. less
Benjamin
updated Wed July 16, 2008
I am disappointed by how many Luddites still exist today; I would have
expected that fear of technological progress was antithetical to modernity.
And shame on so many others for basing their opinions on pulpy SF robo ...more
I am disappointed by how many Luddites still exist today; I would have
expected that fear of technological progress was antithetical to modernity.
And shame on so many others for basing their opinions on pulpy SF robot
stories of doom and gloom .
To be more than human is to be human, as it is said. less
Philip
updated Wed July 16, 2008
The ultimate expression of our evolution can be seen in this. Our minds,
obviously our greatest evolutionary advantage give rise to self driven
evolution that exceeds traditional biological evolution.
Such ...more
The ultimate expression of our evolution can be seen in this. Our minds,
obviously our greatest evolutionary advantage give rise to self driven
evolution that exceeds traditional biological evolution.
Such technology will end the traditional human race, biologically speaking. In
theory, null DNA becomes possible; a situation in which our tools become our
bodies. There will always be restrictions in place to keep a traditional
biological species in place...but the benefits far outweigh the loss of
traditional biology. Space is easily within our grasp when our bodies no
longer require air and food to sustain us.
Some will have religious reasons against such technology, but I doubt that
will hold back the tide of discovery. less
jarbee
updated Wed July 16, 2008
This is going to happen so much faster than people realize. Imagine how small
those cell phones are. Pretty soon they will just be embedded in the headset,
then an ear piece, then why not just implant the device? ...more
This is going to happen so much faster than people realize. Imagine how small
those cell phones are. Pretty soon they will just be embedded in the headset,
then an ear piece, then why not just implant the device? We already look like
crazy people talking into our hands-free headsets. Ten years until I can go to
a kiosk at the mall and get my iPhone implanted. less
Transmeout
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Since Bostrom believes we are most likely living in a simulation whats the
math behind predicting the number of layers of simulation. How many times have
I written this post before? The poor get poorer and the rich will live forever
(in a simulation) Hurray!!
Since Bostrom believes we are most likely living in a simulation whats the
math behind predicting the number of layers of simulation. How many times have
I written this post before? The poor get poorer and the rich will live forever
(in a simulation) Hurray!! less
Gerri Lynn
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Many people, myself included, keep confusing artificial intelligence with
artifical personality. The research into artificial intelligence is more about
making better choices faster within the specific parameters. Art ...more
Many people, myself included, keep confusing artificial intelligence with
artifical personality. The research into artificial intelligence is more about
making better choices faster within the specific parameters. Artificial
personality is what much science fiction centers around.
The main problem with the theories in this article is that it requires a very
intimate understanding of all brain functions down to the cell level (IMO) as
well as how all those connectors work and what all the different parts of the
brain do. We're making progress, but it's no where near close.
Artificial limbs, yah, they're already here and getting better. Better ways to
kill diseases? Already here and more to come. Downloading our brains onto the
internet? Only in a cyberpunk novel, at least for a very long time. less
Robert
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Whatever happens to the future of humanity, we must be ready. Anything might
happen in this very high-tech era that we are now beginning to enter into. On
the spiritual side, only God knows what happen to this world and to the entire
humanity. Everybody must be ready!
Whatever happens to the future of humanity, we must be ready. Anything might
happen in this very high-tech era that we are now beginning to enter into. On
the spiritual side, only God knows what happen to this world and to the entire
humanity. Everybody must be ready! less
Tom Bose
updated Wed July 16, 2008
With all the viruses on the internet would you really want your mind uploaded
into it?
With all the viruses on the internet would you really want your mind uploaded
into it? less
NWV
updated Wed July 16, 2008
Using technology as a tool for addressing physical maladies (e.g. prosthetic
limbs for accidents, artificial insulin production for diabetes, etc.) is one
thing, but any attempt to merge the human consciousness (i.e. ...more
Using technology as a tool for addressing physical maladies (e.g. prosthetic
limbs for accidents, artificial insulin production for diabetes, etc.) is one
thing, but any attempt to merge the human consciousness (i.e. through
"cognitive enhancements") with any non-biological element seems morally
objectionable on many different levels. Whether or not Kurzweil's predictions
are on point, preserving the essence of our humanity (which we still do not
fully understand) must remain a top priority, and by tampering with the human
consciousness we are just distancing ourselves even further from any
meaningful understanding of what it means to be human. less
cliff
updated Wed July 16, 2008
the most inteligent development that man will ever come up with, is
foolishment to our creator GOD. Man will not go any further than GOD will let
him to go.
the most inteligent development that man will ever come up with, is
foolishment to our creator GOD. Man will not go any further than GOD will let
him to go. less
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