Vasant Ramachandran talks about the importance of understanding AI as a possible conduit to transhumanism.

1. AI &
TRANSHUMANISM
You. The Future. And Eternal Consciousness?
V A S A N T R A M A C H A N D R A N

2. THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY
Transhumanism. Eternal life. It’s a fairy
tale, something that isn’t remotely
possible in the physical world as we
know it. Or is it?

3. PERHAPS THE KEY
WORD IS REMOTE.
Human bodies are unquestionably finite; they’re born, they exist,
and then they wear out and die, some sooner rather than later. But
what if the body itself was only a vessel for the intelligence that
resides within it? That’s not such a far-fetched prospect, especially
today, with artificial “companions” like Siri and Alexa now helping
millions of people get through their everyday tasks. But those are
distinctly abstract beings; they were never human. So what is this
concept called transhumanism, and how does it relate to artificial
intelligence?

4. IS TRANSHUMANISM...HUMAN?
Transhumanism is defined as the idea that humans should seek
to exist beyond their natural lifespans with the aid of
technology. Its proponents consider it the next logical step in
utilizing technology to better serve humankind’s needs—after
all, the promise of eternal life has sustained generations of
devout churchgoers. In those cases, however, the people have
to take it on faith that they’ll have an existence beyond this
one.

5. Transhumanism seeks to eliminate that question, with the aid of
everything from interfacing and prosthetics that could extend
the natural lifespan of the body, to nanobots that would take up
residence in the bloodstream and monitor the health of the
host.

6. WILL AI LEAD TO SOMETHING DANGEROUS?
This is where the artificial intelligence (AI) aspect kicks in: At
what point is the consciousness cut off from its humanity,
becoming essentially machine instead? As the transhumanism
movement is still relatively new, this is a question that has yet
to be fully addressed, much less answered. Those who oppose
the philosophical fear that if humans rely on AI to such a
degree, the technology will reach “the singularity” (the
moment at which AI surpasses human intelligence) that much
faster, rendering humanity obsolete—or wiping it out
altogether, a concept long-beloved of the science fiction
industry.

7. While that may indeed be a concern, there are other
matters that should be taken into consideration first.
The planet isn’t large enough to sustain a population
of undying humans, for example, even if they had
evolved (or devolved) into another breed of being.
Casting moral issues aside, before it extends our
lifespans, technology could be put to better use in
the meantime.
V A S A N T R A M A C H A N D R A N . C O M