For futurologist Ray Kurzweil, guru of transhumanism, the progress of AI and science will make it possible to give humans immortality by 2045. Nothing stops progress; it stops by itself! This is precisely what Raymond Kurzweil, a former Google engineer, pioneer of artificial intelligence (AI) and futurologist, thinks. Questioned by a YouTuber, he says he is convinced that humans could become immortal by 2045.
Immortality: Beyond the Physical Body
An immortality that is not particularly physical, even if the researcher wants his body to be cryogenically frozen after his death in order to be resurrected when science can allow it. Ray Kurzweil rather considers that humanity, by 2045, will be heading towards what he calls the “technological singularity“, that of the fusion between humans, genetics, nanotechnology and robotics. The development of AI will be such that it will be possible to map the brain with a resolution fine enough to make it live and even improve it thanks to artificial intelligence.
“Humanity, by 2045, will be heading towards the ‘technological singularity,’ that of the fusion between humans, genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics.”
According to him, with this equivalent computing capacity between AI and the human brain, the reproduction of mental complexity, as well as the emotions of an individual will be possible. The futurologist also predicts that technological advances will allow humans to modify their biology as they wish to cure most fatal diseases.
He specifies that research on delaying, or even reversing, aging—like that being explored by organizations such as the Methuselah Foundation—will add additional bricks to achieve this immortality.
From that moment on, it will be impossible to differentiate between what is in the domain of the synthetic and the human. In other words, the futurologist is banking on a new humanity improved by the power of artificial intelligence and freed from the worries of the biological body. The very definition of transhumanism.
The Sixth Era of Humanity
The scientist explains that this permanent march towards the “technological singularity” is based on the exponential growth of research. He considers that this singularity will be the sixth era of humanity. Why six eras? Because, according to Kurzweil, we would have already gone through four with the mastery of physics and chemistry, DNA and biology, as well as the brain and technology.
Currently, we would be in the middle of the fifth era which would be that of human technology and human intelligence. The researcher goes even further by imagining that, when this sixth era is reached, our intelligence will be totally merged with the rest of the universe. At this stage, we cannot do better, can we?
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