Elon Musk’s Brave New World: Become cyborgs or risk humans being turned into robots’ pets
Elon Musk envisions a future “Brave New World” where, in order to keep up with advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, future humans (those who can afford it that is) will have to have a “neural lace”, embedded within their brains, becoming cyborgs, or super humans, in order to keep pace with the technology. An interesting concept worthy of the best of Si-Fi writers, but consider that such technology would not come cheap. No coverage through medical insurance, ensuring that only the elites of the world will be able to afford having a neural lace implanted within their brains.
Essentially what Musk is envisioning is an Olympian super race – part human/part AI, essentially populated by only those who can afford it – the 1 % of the world’s population who now owns half the world’s wealth. As for all those who cannot afford joining the lofty Olympians with all their neural lace emplants, what future for them? A high-tech serfdom perhaps?
Another implication Musk’s envisioned world is the creation of the Universal Soldier implanted with appropriate neural laces to expertly follow orders without question and without risking Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Imaging a neural lace which would instantly give the recipient the ability to expertly fly a F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
NO wonder that Musk, Google and DARPA are working together to create what may turn out to be a very dystopian future. And this nicely ties in with the Internet of Things. Perhaps with the appropriate “neural lace” we will one day be able to communicate with all our smart devices through a smart phone embedded in the neural lace. A Brave New World indeed….
Don
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Elon Musk: Become cyborgs or risk humans being turned into robots’ pets
By James Titcomb
2 June 2016 “ 10:26am
Elon Musk, the billionaire boss of Tesla and SpaceX, has said that humans need to become cyborgs to avoid becoming “house cats” for vastly more intelligent robots.
Musk said that as artificial intelligence advances, people will need to augment their brain power with digital technology to prevent them becoming irrelevant.
He backed the idea of a “neural lace” “” a new electronic layer of the brain that would allow us to instantly access online information and greatly improve cognitive powers by tapping into artificial intelligence.
“Under any rate of advancement in AI we will be left behind by a lot. The benign situation with ultra-intelligent AI is that we would be so far below in intelligence we”d be like a pet, or a house cat. I don”t love the idea of being a house cat,” he said at San Francisco”s Code Conference.
“The solution that seems maybe the best one is to have an AI layer. A third digital layer that could work symbiotically [with your brain].”
“Under any rate of advancement in AI we will be left behind by a lot. The benign situation with ultra-intelligent AI is that we would be so far below in intelligence we”d be like a pet, or a house cat. I don”t love the idea of being a house cat,” he said at San Francisco”s Code Conference.
“The solution that seems maybe the best one is to have an AI layer. A third digital layer that could work symbiotically [with your brain].”
Scientists have already begun work on a neural lace, successfully testing the concept with mice by injecting them with a device. They believe it could be used for monitoring the brain to fight diseases, or to improve cognitive power.
Musk, who made billions from PayPal and has ambitions to colonise Mars, said he did not know of a particular company working on neural lace, but that he was tempted to invest in the technology himself.
SNIP
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