Transhumanism
Enabling people to live longer and healthier lives and to enhance their intellectual, physical, and emotional capacities using the modern technology
AboutAI Article
Full Report
Converging Technologies
for Improving Human Performance:
Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology and Cognitive Science
Published last month by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Commerce, a 405-page report explains how advanced technology could lead to world peace, universal prosperity and evolution to a higher level of compassion and accomplishment as early as the end of this century. Titled "Converging Technologies for Improving Human Performance: Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Information Technology, and Cognitive Science", this report analyzes ideas such as nanotechnology based implants as replacement for human organs, nanoscale robots for medical intervention, brain to brain and brain to machine interfaces. Some folks think that it is a a seminal road map to the future. On the other hand, most of us doubt that the world salvation will come through technology, as it is too often used to produce weapons of mass destruction. However, as one of my favorite quotes from Chris Peterson and Gayle Pergamit says, "...if a thirty year projection sounds like science fiction, it may be wrong. But if it doesn't sound like science fiction, then it's definitely wrong." Keep that in mind while reading this report!
Quoting the Executive Summary, "...in the early decades of the twenty-first century, concentrated efforts can unify science based on unity in nature, therefore advancing the combination of nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology and new human technologies based in cognitive science. With proper attention to ethical issues and societal needs, converging technologies could determine a tremendous improvement in human abilities, societal outcomes, the nation's productivity, and the quality of life. This is a broad, cross cutting, emerging and timely opportunity of interest to individuals, society and humanity in the long term." The four enabling fields of science and technology that are the key to success of this vision are referred to as "NBIC" (Nano-Bio-Info-Cogno).
The pre-publication on-line version contains the full report and individual chapters in PDF format. They are:
Section A: Motivation and outlook
Section B: Expanding human cognition and communication
Section C: Expanding human physical performance
Section D: Enhancing group and societal outcomes
Section E: National security
Section F: Unifying science and education
As you can see, choosing the most motivating section from the AI point of view would be a very difficult task. However, section B introduces five very interesting areas as targets for technology convergence:
The Human Cognome Project - a cognitive science equivalent for a famous "Human Genome Project", with plans for a complete mapping of the connections in the human brain
Personal Sensory Device Interfaces - devices for cross-modal information exchange, wearable memory aids, etc.
Enriched Community - making the "artificial servants of the future" sensitive to the human emotions and non-verbal communication
Learning How to Learn - using the Virtual Reality environments and massive multi-player games as learning motivators
Tools for Creativity - enhanced engineering tools that scale to all physical levels
The only thing that doesn't really fit in such all-encompassing vision is a dose of nationalist bias present in the statements about maintaining U.S. world leadership. Many researchers also think that the society will have to pick and choose carefully among emerging technologies given potential downsides. However, there is a whole movement called transhumanism, based on a philosophical thesis that that we ought to employ technology in the near-term for the purpose of attempting to perfect ourselves. Transhumanists seek to expand technological opportunities for people to live longer and healthier lives and to enhance their intellectual, physical, and emotional capacities.
"Within the lifetime of most of those alive today humanity will, in all likelihood, possess the technology to radically reengineer humans, to create new and better persons. The philosophical, political and social ramifications of transhumanism are staggering indeed; arguably, they are unprecedented in human history." This quote is taken from the Transhumanity magazine, an excellent resource maintained by the World Transhumanist Association. Extropy Institute is another excellent resource filled with related information. Anders Sandberg collects information about transhumanism and related research areas such as as life extension, cryonics, nanotechnology, physical and mental enhancements, uploading human consciousness into computers and megascale engineering: I'm sure you'll find plenty of useful information at his site.
