Ray Kurzweil, the author of the 2005 best-seller “The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology,” predicted that machines endowed with artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence by 2045 and integrate progressively. One of the most apparent forms of integration is the brain-machine interface.
For those unfamiliar with the term, ‘singularity’ refers to a point in time where the progression of a phenomenon becomes irreversible. At this juncture, the rates of change become exponential, or in simpler terms, extremely rapid. This concept is often associated with the idea that humans will eventually lose control over the machines they have created, leading to a scenario where machines may dominate our lives.
Human-machine integration brings to mind an old thought experiment I’ve often pondered: brain transplants. Imagine you’re faced with the choice of receiving a brain transplant from someone with a brain akin to, or even superior to, Einstein’s. Would you accept, knowing that your current brain is afflicted with an incurable disease?
The temptation to agree to receive a young, super-intelligent brain can be overwhelming. However, who actually benefits, the person who gets the brain or the person who gives the brain? We are our brains. In our brains, we store everything that makes us who we are. If you accept a transplant of my brain, when you emerge from the surgery, you will no longer know your family, your friends, the things you loved or hated. I, the brain donor, would be alive in a body that used to be yours. In other words, you, the brain recipient, would be the donor, and I, the brain donor, would be the recipient. You donated your body for my brain to continue living. We are our brains.
Similarly, when “singularity” is reached, as technology makes it possible to implant nanobots (nanoscale robots) in human brains, especially those to enhance human intelligence, they will naturally take over. Those transplants will allow our brains direct access to digital data, and our natural, biological brains will cease to function. Why would the biological brain that needs years of training to obtain specific skills to continue functioning when, in a few seconds, the nanobots implanted in our brain solve the most complicated problems?
Consider this: ‘Singularity’ could signify the gradual phasing out of humans, one by one. Those without access to the latest technology might be the only ones left clinging to their humanity. As we struggle to keep up with superhumans, the day might come when biological humans go extinct.
Jean Garry Cantave
Ayiti Syantifik
8/13/2024