It’s Tuesday evening. I am laying on the grass, in the sun, listening to Star Talk. My first ever podcast. Don’t judge me.
Artificial Intelligence and nanotechnology is the theme of this podcast. I can’t believe it took me so long to make the connection. Suddenly, just by looking at the title of the podcast, I realise that AI will not be the end of us, but the start of a new version of us. Another step in evolution.
God, I am so glad. I was starting to worry about the singularity.
When I think about Moore’s Trend, and how information is doubling exponentially year after year, it becomes obvious that the only way for humans to keep up and remain relevant, would be to enhance our own brains. While machines are great at processes, repeatable work and analysing large sets of data, humans are great at unstructured problem solving and critical thinking, empathising etc. So why not combine both?
For one hour, Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ray Kurzweil discussed how nanotechnology will enable our brains to connect to the “cloud”, where computers will work to exponentially augment our existing intelligence.
Nanobots.
Yes, you read that right.
Tiny robots made of DNA strands. Inside our brains.
Part machine. Part human.
Hybrids.
And apparently, by 2030.
Kurzweil might be off with his timelines at times, but he is always spot on with the trends.
At this point, more precisely at 46:36 mins in, I am starting to question how this will play out. Will it be a pill? Will it besurgery? Will it be all at once or will it happen slowly?
This just made me think of the Matrix and I get slightly afraid of how much control over our lives Google would have if all our thinking was on the cloud. The ads I would be targeted with would not be suitable for daytime television.
“We’re going to gradually merge and enhance ourselves”, Kurzweil says…
The idea of having our intimate thoughts, desires and motivations out there, in the “cloud”, is a scary one. The thought of other people gaining access to the real you, without all the lenses and filters like politeness and political correctness sounds like something out of sci-fi.
1984 never felt so real. If George Orwell was remotely right, in the 2030’s world the Thought Police could technically become a thing. But so could learning a new language in a couple of seconds. Or becoming a neuroscientist in a matter of minutes. Possibilities are infinite.
“Fire kept us warm and cooked our food but also burnt down our houses. Every technology has had its promise and peril”.
Kurzweil is right.