Merging With Our Machines

[futuretalk]

Merging with machines will empower us

 

According to experts, information technology is doubling its power, as measured in price performance and bandwidth capacity, every year. We will see the power of information technology multiplied by a factor of a billion in 25 years.

 

When you imagine increasing the power of computers for the same price, computation, communication, as well as our knowledge of biology, and knowledge of intelligence processes in the brain, by a factor of a billion in-25 years, you arrive at this radical conclusion.

 

This observation assumes that information technology is not just computerized devices like MP3 and cell phones, but is something that is deeply influencing every aspect of our lives, including our biology, our knowledge of intelligence, and worldwide communications (Internet).

 

Some believe that exponential growth associated with a specific paradigm like number of transistors on an integrated circuit (Moore’s Law) will eventually end, but it does not. It just yields to another paradigm; chips will give in to three-dimensional molecular computing which will keep this trend going on long after 25 years. One cubic inch of nano-tube circuitry would be 100 million times more powerful than the human brain.

 

On the software side, in order to achieve the algorithms of human intelligence, we need to reverse-engineer the human brain, which scientists hope to complete by 2030 or before. Exponential growth rate is doubling in the spatial resolution of brain scanning every year, and doubling the information that we are gathering about the brain every year.

 

Eventually, scientist believe we will model all regions of the brain, including the cerebellum; where we do our skill formation and which compromises more than half the neurons in the brain.

 

In 25 years, by 2031, we will have detailed mathematical models and computer simulations of all regions of the brain and we will be able to recreate human intelligence in machines that do not have our biological limitations. Machines think much faster than humans can. They are better at logical thinking and remembering things – and most importantly, they can share their knowledge at electronic speed, a million times faster than human language.

 

Therefore, it just makes sense that in the 2030s we will find tremendous advantages of converting our biological bodies to non-biological “housing units” and allow this incredible efficient machine knowledge to become part of us.

 

This “magical future” will be the next natural step in our evolution. We will remain “human”, but will become far more powerful than we are today.

[hallenrm]

Therefore, it just makes sense that in the 2030s we will find tremendous advantages of converting our biological bodies to non-biological “housing units” and allow this incredible efficient machine knowledge to become part of us.

 

This “magical future” will be the next natural step in our evolution. We will remain “human”, but will become far more powerful than we are today.

 

So far as your first comment is concerned, I have my personal doubts. But, I tend to agree with your second thought! I believe that the human brain will evolve in order to survive the assault of massive information from IT.

 

:)

[skuzie]

Ah yes the 'curve', or the singularity as the well known Kurzweil would preach. I recently read the book called 'Radical Evolution' by Joel Garreau and it talks about the subject very deeply with positive and negative views.

 

It may be true that the computing speed is on a exponential growth curve and that we are deciphering dna ever so faster, but we are living in todays world and we view the future in 'todays' point of view so it is easy to make the above assumptions. I believe we have a long way before we get close to some sort of AI or reverse engineering of the human mind, by that time we may not even seem human by today's standard. The complexity of software only introduces more glitches and bugs and more unforeseen scenarios by the human creators. Is the new IE7 really that more complex than the browser of 5 years ago, has the internet doubled/tripled in complexity of the last couple years? where is the curve there? its quantity vs quality. Quality takes time thats why biological evolution is so much more complex than anything we will understand in the near future. I believe we will continue to develop Weak AI to the point of complexity where there will be no need for Strong AI (adding the extra human-characteristics of self-awareness and whatnot).

[futuretalk]

More on human-machine merge.

 

Humanity’s merge with its technology, which began shortly after the taming of fire, is still happening today, and progressing at ever-increasing speeds.

 

Many predict that today’s “fine-tuning” of our DNA-based biology (stem cell and genetic research efforts) will spark a powerful nanotech revolution that promises to redesign and rebuild – molecule by molecule – our bodies and brains and the world with which we interact, going far beyond the limits of our biology.

 

Now bring on the most amazing impending revolution – human-level robots with their intelligence derived from our own, but redesigned to exceed human capabilities. This intelligence, when sufficiently advanced, will overcome any obstacles that stand in its path.

 

By mid-2030s or so, experts predict we will complete our merge with technology by replacing our biological cells with nano-aided non-biological “immortal” ones, providing humanity with a far more efficient “housing unit” which will enable us to proceed safely into a “magical future”.

 

Evolution created humanity; humanity created technology, humanity will soon become technology. This is simply our next step in evolution. Where evolution will take us next is beyond reasoning, but life extension efforts could enable many of us alive today to experience its wonders.

 

Of course, everyone can select their own version of how our future will unfold in the coming decades, but for one who has seen so many remarkable changes over the last seventy-five years, I think it impossible to imagine a pessimistic outcome.

[futuretalk]

We should not fear future automation

 

Automated systems are already flexing their muscle in the biology world. We could never have sequenced the human genome in such a timely manner without the help of machines that grew in efficiency as the project unfolded. In addition, the much-hyped nanobot’ cell-repair machines will become available within the next two decades to automatically maintain; even improve all biological structures.

 

Supercomputers are quickening advances in every scientific field with their ability to perform thousands, millions; eventually billions and trillions of simulations that can turn research dreams into real world accomplishments.

 

One day, these powerful automated systems will not require human guidance – they will automatically establish goals and determine best ways to accomplish those goals.

 

Should we fear these futuristic systems? The answer is no, because there is nothing to prevent us from one day transferring these powerful intelligent system’s abilities into our brains. We would simply replace our slow-calculating biological neurons with non-biological ones that can handle supercomputer-speed processing.

 

Think of the tremendous advantages in decision-making. We develop an idea, or face a situation, and immediately our mind can run billions or trillions of simulations all within a nano-second or two, and voila! We make a totally accurate and correct decision, always.

 

Future robots will serve us – then merge with us. This is not something we should ignore or fear; it is something we should look forward to with great joy!

[Boerseun]

Hey Future dude - great thread!

 

This is a topic that I've been wondering about for a number of years now. I think if we take the last few billion years' worth of evolution in mind, then us evolving into the next plane of existence would be inevitable. But mind you, it won't be *us*. It'll be machines with more of our strengths and less of our weaknesses. But I don't think it'll ever be possible to transfer your consciousness into a machine. We might model it very accurately, though.

 

That being said - if scientists can model the human brain perfectly, and can make a nano version of it to be installed into a robot, and we also give the robot the means to replicate (maybe via nanobots that can assemble a carbon copy of the original robot from materials at hand, be it surface rocks on the moon or mars or whatever) then we have essentially created a new intelligent species, not a carbon-based species, but a basically immortal silicon-based species who can live on pure energy (sunlight, electricity) and be shut down for years on end in the case of no energy being present; to be revived without any bad side-effects whatsoever when a new form of energy is found.

 

I think humans are simply a transient species towards the creation of a self-replicating silicon based intelligent life-form. We won't be able to colonise the rest of the Galaxy in human form. We'll have to do this if "Intelligence" is of any import at all.

 

But this raises interesting questions, though. If we make an accurate model of the human brain, would such a brain be capable of original though?

 

Also, if we do create such an independent, intelligent species, what would their approach to humans be? Would they revere us as their Creators, their "Gods", if you will, or will they simply see us as a lower life-form, much like we might view monkey and apes (who's ancestors gave rise to us, too)?

 

We might try and convince ourselves that something like Asimov's Robotic Laws can prevent something like that, but also, the Robotic Laws are pure fiction, and if we want to create a truly independent species, we can't impose any kind of dogma on them.

 

But if we want to spread intelligence throughout the Universe, we'll only be able to do it in this way. Our human episode will be left on Earth, our bodies perfectly suited to Earth conditions will not make the grade anywhere else. A robot with human intelligence would be equally comfortable in the vacuum of space, in the searing desert, the freezing wastes of the Jovian moons, and switched off in transit to the nearest stars.

 

The only question would be "Why"?

 

If we duplicate human brains and implant such a design into robots, they might be content to explore the universe for exploration's sake. Their neural circuits will demand it, and find pleasure in it. If they are capable of original thought, they'll also analyse any problems they might encounter with their bodily design and change it, or "evolve", if you will. They will better themselves over time so that the robots in existence a thousand years hence will be utterly unrecognizable to the creators of the original robots. And that's also not a bad thing - Nature goes on and does what Nature does best; evolution will happend amongst the robots as well.

 

This is indeed an interesting topic, and seeing how it'll pan out will be quite a ride!

[Buffy]

Seconding the "Why?" question. Too many tech predictions are variations of "build it and they will come" and most of the time they never do.

 

Unless there's some compelling problem that gets solved. Although sometimes "compelling" is less earthshaking than one would imagine: YouTube? People *want* to watch other people putting Mentos in Coke and watching it explode. Its better than TV!

 

Will we *merge* with machines? Tell me why I'd want to, first.

 

There are plenty of Star Trek and Twilight Zone episodes exploring the matter, and it sure comes down on the side of exposing the weaknesses. What's the *real* benefit here, and is it even worth debating when the downsides are completely unknown. Do you want to be the first on your block to put your engrams in silicon? These stories give vague motivators like "eternal life" but who *really* wants that?

 

Now the key theme in all tech that I've seen in my life is that the *real* use of technology is both more surprising and more mundane than anyone ever predicts. In the 50s and 60s and 70s, computers and robots were going to take over the world and we'd live in fear of these "almost humans". Well, they did take over the world and there are now 5 microprocessors for every US citizen. They're in our cars, phones, microwaves, dishwashers. Is there any likelihood that they're going to take over Cylon-like? Tee hee! You're kidding right?

 

I think we'll get the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman Real Soon Now, but replacing bad parts makes sense right now and we already have a sense of what the practical tradeoffs would be. Bionic leg? You'll still walk funny but you could walk. Bionic ear? It might sound funny because you'll never get the D/A converters that are that small to replicate a real Cochlea, but you could hear better. You might have to have 'em replaced if they break, but that's no worse than having them put in in the first place. We can understand and deal with these risk/benefit details because we're close to the actual implementations.

 

Its not really possible to think beyond this, because there are so many unknowns, but I'd say that our understanding of the representation of "being" is going to have to go to a currently unimaginable level before we can deal with how the technology might apply. The practical implementation would be everything, and I think that saying *today* that people have an "irrational fear" of this application of technology is kind of like asking Hippocrates if he'd have any "fear" of a heart-lung transplant operation. Fear? Sure, if you have no idea of the odds some remote time in the future about something that would have a 100% failure rate *today*.

 

FDR wasn't saying "Fear Itself" wasn't scary.

 

Imagine all the people living life in silicon, :hyper:

Buffy

[futuretalk]

Nice reply – great ideas here – however, I do not envision machines soaring into the future as a separate species from humans.

 

As we make ‘smart’ components of machines we will find them to be an advantage for us to incorporate into our bodies. Little by little, we will become the machines. We will still consider ourselves ‘human’, but we will morph ourselves into this future immortal configuration.

 

Mid-century humans will be powerful beings enjoying a great life utilizing incredible intelligence as we go about re-designing our planet, developing space habitats, and searching for other planets to occupy – but this writer believes we will always call ourselves ‘humans’.

[moo]

I'm sure most know about the research a few years ago with monkeys controlling games and robotic arms via wires implanted in the brain, but here's a few links in case anyone missed it.

 

http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,60803,00.html

http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=12789&ch=infotech

http://www.carlzimmer.com/articles/2004/articles_2004_MonkeyMind.html

 

I thought there was also later research using external induction coils in a helmet rather than direct implants, but I can't seem to locate any at the moment (maybe it didn't work as well).

 

Anyway...

 

Obviously controlling things in this manner would be of great benefit to those with disabilities, but I'm wondering if similar technology could be used to digitally store/access things such as technical info, or perhaps even memories.

 

It would depend greatly on the speed/quality of both storage and retrieval, but it might be pretty cool to plug in and relive a favorite event with all the details that are usually lost (assuming data was stored while the event was fresh). Or perhaps just plug into an encyclopedia or law library.

 

I'm sure any such technology is a few years away yet, although it doesn't actually seem to be such a huge leap from the monkey research IMO (since it already uses a data stream of sorts).

 

Does sound a bit Star Trekkie though...

 

moo