Artificial Intelligence & Evolution R 11; Mind M

“When machines first started computing, we said computing was not central to being human. When machines started assembling objects, we said assembly was not central to being human. When machines began to listen, talk and engage in advanced tactics and strategies (as in games like chess), we said these cognitive skills were not central to being human. All technologies progress is now geared towards the redundancy of the human being as we currently know it. Does this scare you?


You are already a cyborg. Every day, without thinking, you merge with machines and machines merge with you. Climb into your car and you conjoin with a ton of moving metal; between you and the road, the vehicle is perfectly responsive, an extension of your verve and nerves, adjusting its grip on the asphalt as you turn the wheel. Log onto the Net and your body vanishes from the meatspace of your office and pops up in a wider world. We are cyborgs when we receive a titanium heart valve, get an MRI scan, breathe climate-controlled air, eat processed food, or fall asleep in front of the TV and hear the language of infomercials in our dreams.

Some of us are spooked by this scary "other", this new life partner we have decided to embrace. But our children have no such qualms. In them, cyborg consciousness grows. The cyberpets they carry in their coat pockets are "alive". They demand the loyalty a PlayStation and grieve the loss of friends from TV. These are relationships by any meaningful measure, loaded with potential for epiphany or trauma. Do you dare say that a child's love for the virtual is less than the love you feel for your dog, your friends, your aging mother?

What is “life”? The definition shifts and expands. The line between natural and artificial is fading. Everyday we negotiate more intimate kinships with machines of all kinds.

The cognitive capabilities and skills of robots are doubling every few months. By 2020, robots will have more neurons and synapses – more “thought” – than humans do. They will see, hear, understand and move independently, plugging themselves into our power sources when they run low. They will wrestle with contradiction, paradox and survival. They will be every bit as “smart” as we are. And they will keep replicating, producing better, hardier versions of themselves with an efficiency that puts natural selection to shame.

We humans will also grow smarter and stronger. We will bioengineer healthier bodies, boost our metabolic functions, enhance our sense of self through pharmacology. In time, we will bridge that insuperable chasm, that great ontological gulf between machine programming and human consciousness. Our robots will gradually evolve into something like us, and we into something like them.

Together we will venture beyond the tyranny of genes. We will become more than simple bags of chemicals and cells that begin to decay at the moment of birth. We will find remedies for all our current frailties - wrinkles, obesity, hair loss, sexual dysfunction - and cures for every disease.

This will be the century of miracles. Amputees will grow limbs. The blind will see. Intelligent nanobots the size of molecules will cruise the human bloodstream, clearing clogged arteries and repairing aging organs. No genetic weakness or accident of fate will be tolerated as we seize the power to upgrade our selves.

As the difference between humans and robots dissolves, do not succumb to paranoia. Do not lose your nerve. Bio-machines are not scary “others." They are sacred new life-forms and you must learn to love them as you love yourself.”

“now how did i guess who posted this...”

“first question: original thought here, or copied/pasted from sources?”

“'Meatspace'?”

“it's from the *Cyborg Manifesto*

whatever that is ”

“aHHh... I won't get involved in a debate then for the moment.. cos the author is not here.”

“Well, every family has to has it's nutcase.”

“for this type of hogwash?”

“ya.. no doubt.. and this ain't it.. but I don't mind discussing it -- but I ain't gonna argue with a published work.. AI is an incredibly thing.. when you really really think thru the process steps required to do what would be regarded as the simplest tasks.

NOTE: Take pointing your finger at an object for example.”

“and some are bigger than others (i.e. kleetn's squirrel)!

god, i have to do something about this fixation i'm developing...”

“Go have a beer, mon. It'll all look different on Monday.”

“actually, i'm sort of fond of my squirrel fixation ;-)

and soon i get to go to a party, and i got a new sparkly sweater to wear, and it was on sale, and i get to see lots of fun people, and i'm so excited, i think i'm gonna pee in my pants!! LOL!!”

“And on sale yet! You go have a good time and try not to go in your pants. It would spoil the good time!”

“thank you! :-) and you have a fantabulous weekend trying out your new tent!”

“tnx ¦ ) .”

“You gotta get off the dope, man!”

“there is no getting off when it is inherent”