There is a philosophy that has been going on for some time hybrid people, this philosophy is called Transhumanism. Transhumanism is a philosophical and intellectual movement that advocates the improvement of the human condition by developing and making available advanced technologies that can significantly improve longevity and cognition. Due to the rapid developments, it looks like it will not be long before we can implement a chip in a human brain, so that we will become hybrid people.
Neuralink has already shown that it works in animals, the next logical step is approval to apply this to humans. This allows lost motor and cognitive functions due to brain and spine damage to be restored and an ‘interface’ between brain and computers. create. This allows us to have extra computing capacity at our disposal, making us hybrid people.
Neuralink expects to take this step within 6 months.
Click here for the announcement of Neuralink
Should humanity want this?
Neuralink is now mainly talking about medical applications and that is a fantastic starting point. What other possibilities are there? Suppose we can become a billion times smarter through a small intervention. What if we then have all the knowledge at our disposal just by thinking about it? Should we want this? It is a fact that we are herd animals that follow each other so if 1 sheep is over the dam there will be more. Given the possibilities, we are convinced that this will happen at a particularly rapid pace.
Ray Kurzweil
Two hundred million years ago, our mammalian ancestors developed a new brain feature: the neocortex. This piece of tissue the size of a postage stamp (wrapped around brains the size of a walnut) is the key to what humanity has become.
Now, argues futurist Ray Kurzweil, we need to prepare for the next big leap in brain power, while tapping into computing power in the cloud . This means that we are going to become hybrid people. He made a number of predictions in the 90s and shared his vision for the coming years.
First, let’s go back to “old” predictions.
In 1990, he predicted that a computer would beat a world chess champion before 1998.
In 1997, IBM’s Deep Blue defeated world champion Garry Kasparov.
That PCs in 2010 would be able to answer questions by wirelessly accessing information via the Internet.
He was right, to say the least.
That in the early 2000s, exoskeleton limbs disabled people walk.
There is now technology that does this, and much more.
In 1999, he predicted;
That in 2009 people can talk to their computer to give commands.
Now Siri and Google Now and Cortana are increasingly a personal assistant.
That in 2009 computer displays in glasses for augmented reality would be built.
Now you already have Google Glass, Hololens and, for example, Magic Leap.
In 2005, he predicted;
That around 2010s, virtual solutions are able to apply real-time translations.
Microsoft (via Skype Translate), Google (Translate)
Ray Kurzweil’s vision for decades to come
- The predictions that go over the years around 2025
- Will glasses project an image directly onto the retina
- Costs ten terabytes of computing power (roughly the same as the human brain) about 1,000 euros.
- Most diseases will disappear if nanobots become smarter than current medical technology.
- Can normal human food be replaced by nanosystems.
- Self-driving cars are starting to take over the roads, and people are no longer allowed to drive themselves on the highways.
What does he expect around the years 2030 – 2035
- Will the virtual reality start to feel 100% real.
- Will we be able to upload our mind/consciousness by the end of the decade.
- And now a view for around 2045
- Will non-biological intelligence be capable of up to a billion times more than biological intelligence (aka us).
- Will we multiply our intelligence by an unprecedented multiple by wirelessly linking our neocortex with a synthetic neocortex in the cloud?
Just listen to the man himself
Scary?
Yep, and then remember that when one saw the steam train for the first time it was devilish device! Human development is unstoppable, the question is how we deal with this wisely. How do we ensure that hybrid forms are an enrichment for humanity?
Above all, we think it’s very cool and look to the future with confidence.