Can humans really be digitized who can live in the
digital realm of a computer based existence? Whether a person's digital avatar
can remain static after his death or continue to learn and develop
autonomously? Is it possible to upload, store or transfer a person's feelings,
memories and experiences to a digital entity or cyberspace?
The latest technological advancements in AI, robotics and
biotech poses the question: what is the essence of the human mind and can this
be replicated? Or even more unsettling, could we one day meet cloned versions
of ourselves – clones which are better, smarter, and immortal?
Wouldn't be wrong to say that Digital Immortality
has always been a subject of debate for man and science.
Now science has made it possible to be truly immortal. Researchers
and entrepreneurs are starting to ponder how artificial intelligence could
create versions of people after their deaths—not only as static replicas for
the benefit of their loved ones but as evolving digital entities that may steer
companies or influence world events.
The possibilities for creating digital immortality have
become more sophisticated through technological developments. Advancements in
knowledge management, machine-to-machine communication, data mining, and
artificial intelligence are making a person's active presence after his or her
death. Digital immortality has moved beyond simple memorial pages and ‘beyond
the grave’ updates, from dead family or friends. For example, digital
immortality is affecting grief and mourning practices. This is introducing new
forms of legacy as well as new issues for the funeral industry.
These imaginations perceive humanity advancing toward a
new age of post-biological life, a world of intelligence without bodies,
immortal identity without the limitations of disease, death, and unfulfilled
desire. As scientists on the forefront of technology show that a world where
humans and machines merge isn’t so far away.
But.....DO WE REALLY NEED DIGITAL IMMORTALITY?,
let's try to find the answer.
What Is Digital Immortality,
Digital immortality can be defined as the continuation of
an active or passive digital presence after death. As people establish on-line
identities and repositories, the likelihood that their digital presences will
persist beyond their death increases, especially as the use of virtual personal
assistants grows.
"Digital Immortality (or "virtual
immortality") is the hypothetical concept of storing (or transferring) a
person's personality to more durable media, i.e. computers, and allowing people
to communicate with them in the future. It refers to the notion of using a
person's digital archive to train a chatbot or digital avatar to behave, react
and think like that person. A person's digital history includes images, voice
data, social media posts, text messages and written letters." (Wikipedia)
These can be used to create 2D or 3D representations of a
person, including voice; however the research in this area still remains small
or discrete and the idea lives on within whitepapers and sci-fi movies to this
day.
How Digital Immortality Works,
There are five technologies which will ultimately lead to
radical life extension during the course of this century and one leads directly
to digital immortality, these five technologies are advanced Biotechnology,
Nanotechnology, Advanced Robotics, Genetics and mind uploading / whole brain
emulation.
Digital immortality can be achieved through implanting
neuro-nanorobots into the brain. In the future it could even be beamed from the
computer as a hologram or even in a physical three dimensional format as a
robot that could interact with you.
Of course ultimately if your memories are uploaded to a
non biological brain this will be the path which leads to digital immortality.
We will reach the stage in somewhere between 30 and 50 years where a
combination of robust artificial intelligence and nanotechnology combined with
whole brain emulation will enable us to achieve whole brain emulation.
"Whole brain emulation is where the brain is
uploaded to a digital medium and increasingly enhanced and replaced with
non-biological components until it reaches a stage where the non-biological
components can model the biological part so accurately the original brain’s
loss would be irrelevant from a functional perspective. Once this technology is
developed multiple backup copies of the brain could be constantly backed up
just as we do with a computer to the cloud meaning if one copy fails the others
would continue at which point digital immortality would have been
achieved."
For example, while you’re alive you grant the service
access to your Facebook, Twitter and email accounts, upload photos,
geo-location history and even Google Glass recordings of things that you have
seen. The data is collected, filtered and analyzed before it’s transferred to
an AI avatar that tries to emulate your looks and personality. The avatar
learns more about you as you interact with it while you’re alive, with the aim
of more closely reflecting you as time progresses.
Would Digital Immortality Be Good For Society,
Digital immortality achieved through AI technology will
trigger subsequent social and ethical problems. Data privacy, data control and
misuse, data bias and discrimination are issues that have already occurred and
which have led to legislation and regulation.
Digital Immortality would undoubtedly cause numerous
social problems in future. Assuming that the process will be expensive -- at
least in the beginning -- it could create a new gap between classes or perhaps
some countries would have access to the technology while others lack the money
or technology to support it. People with power and wealth swarming into
countries allowing digital immortality may result in social instability. That
could lead to upheaval on a global scale.
While several religions feature some concept of
immortality -- the body may die but some part of you will exist forever. Then
how would digital immortality mesh with the world's religions? Many religions
include some form of an afterlife. But if we create the ability to become
immortal through technology, what does that mean for these religions? Would it
be fair to treat digital immortals like humans and give them social identity?
Have you ever thought about who will own the personal data after death?
And...what about population control?, because some people
will never die. And what would it be like to live in a world where your
children could become the same physical age of their parents, or even surpass
it? Physically, parents and their children could be the same age.
If we become a stagnant population after getting a
digital avatar, won't creativity die? How will we stay engaged and interested
in the world around us? How long will it take us to get bored or unhappy with
life?
Digital immortality may result in human beings relying
too much on AI and ignoring the development of human potential. This is a great
threat to human intelligence and a generator of harm to the development of
civilized society.
The truth is that every human being dies. For thousands
of years, with the development of technology, human lifespan has greatly
extended. But for technology to make people live forever, no matter what form
of human immortality, means totally changing the course of nature which cannot
be regarded as an endowed human right.
Companies Dedicated To Creating Digitally Immortal Personas,
The Silicon Valley-startup Eterni.me aims to let
people preserve their “most important thoughts, stories, and memories” in an
artificially intelligent system that could ultimately communicate
conversationally with others once its creator is gone. Eterni.me allows
you to create a list of people who will be contacted and given access to your
account in the case of death, giving your descendants quick and easy access to
that Instagram pic of your latte or a detailed history of your Facebook pokes.
On the other hand,
Legacy Locker and Entrustnet allow users to nominate an
“executor” who will act out their digital wishes after death, including passing
on account information to designated heirs. Deathswitch sends
personalized messages to pre-selected contacts. Life.Vu offers online
memorial pages for loved ones who have passed away. But none of this is close
to what Eterni.me is promising.
There are other companies developing similar technology
such as HereAfter AI. Using conversational AI, the company aspires to
reinvent remembrance, offering its clients “digital immortality.” This
technology evolved from an earlier chatbot developed by a son hoping to capture
his dying father’s memories.
Whereas, Replika bot would be able to keep
responding like you and telling your stories after you died in the same way
that Eterni.me’s avatars could. Over 100,000 people have reserved their Replika
“name” and 17,000 applied for early testing of the app, but only 1,200 were
given access to the beta version.
Neuralink, a company founded by Elon Musk focused on brain-machine
interfaces, is working on aspects of mind-uploading. Some wealthy people,
including tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel, have reportedly arranged to have their
bodies preserved after death until such time as the requisite technology
exists.
Refrences:
BBC.com
THE NEW YORK Times
THE WALL STREET JOURNALS
howstuffworks
nbcnews.com
CORE-Digital Immortality and Virtual Humans
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