Most species are transient. They die, become extinct or branch into new species. It is possible to expect a typical mammalian species to still exist. One million years.
Modern humans, Homo sapiensThe, which have been around for approximately 300,000 years. So, what happens if we live for a million?
Science fiction author H.G. H.G. Wells, a science fiction author, was the first one to realize that humans can evolve into something completely alien.
His 1883 essay was Millionaire ManHe imagined what has become a common cliche: tiny-bodied, big-headed creatures. Later, he speculated on the possibility that humans could be split into more than one species.
While Wells’s evolutionary models are not timeless, the three main options he considered still stand. We could become extinct, change into multiple species, or go extinct.
We also have biotechnology which could dramatically increase the chance of each of them.
Future technologies that are possible include human enhancement (making yourself smarter, stronger, or in some other way better using drugs, genetics, or other technology), brain Emulation (uploading your brains to computers), or future technologies that can be foreseen include brain emulation (uploading your brains onto computers). artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence (AI) could produce new species that are not found in biology.
Software intelligence and artificial intelligence
It is impossible for anyone to predict the future. It relies on fundamentally random elements: ideas and actions, and technological and biological limitations that are still unknown.
But it is my job to explore the possibilities, and I think the most likely case is vast “speciation” – when a species splits into several others.
There are many among us who want to improve the human condition – slowing and abolishing ageing, enhancing intelligence and mood, and changing bodies – potentially leading to new species.
These visions however leave many feeling cold.
It is possible that these technologies will not become as ubiquitous and cheap as mobile phones and some people will reject them out of principle in order to maintain their image as normal humans.
Long-term, we can expect the most advanced people, generation after generation (or upgrade upon upgrade), to become one of the fundamentally different. “Posthuman” species – and a species of holdouts declaring themselves the “real humans”.
Through brain emulationWe could even go further with this speculative technology that scans the brain at a cellular level, then reconstructs the neural network in a computer to create “software intelligence”.
This is not just speciation. It is leaving the animal kingdom to make way for the mineral or software kingdom.
This could be done for many reasons, including increasing your chances of immortality by creating copies and back-ups or easy travel via the internet or radio in space.
Software intelligence offers other benefits. It can be extremely useful. resource efficient – a virtual being only needs energy from sunlight and some rock material to make microchips.
It can also think and alter on the timescales that computation sets, which is probably millions of times faster then biological minds. It can evolve in new ways – it just needs a software update.
However, it is possible that humanity will not be the only intelligent species of the planet.
Artificial intelligence is moving at a rapid pace right now. Although there are many uncertainties and disagreements over when or if artificial intelligence will become conscious, it is expected to arrive in a significant fraction of the experts. Think it’s possible in this centuryOr sooner.
It is possible, and it will happen. At some point, we are likely to have a planet where humans have largely been replaced by software intelligence or AI – or some combination of the two.
Are you looking for utopia or dystopia
It seems likely that all minds will eventually become software. Researchers suggest that computers will become more efficient at using energy in the future.
Software minds will also not need to consume food or drink, which can be inefficient ways of getting energy. Additionally, they can run slower parts of the day to save power.
This means we should have the ability to obtain There are many more artificial brains per kilogram of matterIn the distant future, they will produce more solar power than human brains. They can also evolve quickly so we should expect them change dramatically over time.
Physical beings have a distinct disadvantage when compared to software beings. They move in the slow, quaint world that is matter. However, they can be self-contained unlike the flitting code that will vanish if it is ever disrupted.
Natural people may be able to remain in traditional societies, much like software developers. This is similar to what the Amish live today. Their modest lifestyle is protected and made possible by the United States. It doesn’t mean that societies surrounding small, primitive societies should be destroyed. Human rights have been established and legal protections have been provided for normal human beings.
Is this a bright future? It all depends on what you value. Living a happy, fulfilling life means having positive relationships with others and living in a prosperous and peaceful environment. In this perspective, strange posthumans do not seem necessary. We just need to make sure that the small village functions (perhaps by unseen automation).
While some may be fond of “the human project”, a continuous chain that runs from our palaeolithic ancestors to us, others might not. However, they are open to new possibilities. They might view software developers and AI as too extreme, but they would be open to humans evolving into new forms.
Others might argue that what is important is freedom of expression and the pursuit of your life goals. Some may believe we should go out and explore the posthuman universe to see what it has in store for us.
Others may place more importance on happiness, thinking, or other qualities than different entities and seek futures that maximize these. Some people are uncertain. We should be able to take all the paths we can.
Dyson sphere?
Here is a prediction of the year one-million. Some humans look more or less like us – but they are less numerous than they are now. A large portion of the land is now wilderness. This is because there is less demand for agriculture and cities.
There are many cultural sites in the world that offer vastly different ecosystems. These sites are carefully preserved by robots to preserve their historical and aesthetic value.
Tillions of artificial brains teem under the Sahara’s silicon canopies. The planet was once under threat from the massive and powerful data centres that provide power to these minds. Now, most orbit the Sun, forming a growing structure – a Dyson sphere – where each watt of energy powers thought, consciousnessComplexity, complexity, and other oddities are all things that we don’t yet have words for.
The most likely reason biological humans become extinct is not because of immediate threats, but because there aren’t any respect for, tolerance or binding contracts with post-human species. Perhaps this is a reason to treat our minorities better.
Anders Sandberg, James Martin Research Fellow, Future of Humanity Institute & Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
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