AI & The Quest For Immortality

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most hotly debated issues of our time. Some have suggested the debate really began back in the sixties with the release of Isaac Asimov’s “I-Robot”, a tale involving a robot who murders his creator. It was also where Asimov came up with his famous “three laws of robotics”. Back then, the primary concern was whether robots could potentially become so advanced they would turn on their creators. But recently, there’s been a new development in the progress of AI that will change our world.

OpenAI (creators of ChatGPT) have just announced a partnership with FaceBook, announcing what they call a ‘digital consciousness project’. According to OpenAI, they plan to harness the power of AI to help users talk to their dead relatives. Not even Asimov could have imagined such a future.

A little explanation is probably required here. What OpenAI is proposing is to create a sort of digital doppelgänger. OpenAI plans to use AI to cull through dead users data. You know, all that stuff we so freely post on the internet? AI will harvest all the data, learning your likes, dislikes, mannerisms, voice patterns, and then reconstruct all of this into a digital avatar. OpenAI has boasted that by 2025 you will be able to open your FaceBook app and then have a live conversation with your dead uncle (or grandfather, Aunt, grandmother, whoever).

By OpenAI discussing this means there has been a major pivot in the advancement of AI. Up until this point, the term ‘AI’ has been a misnomer. What we really were discussing was just a very sophisticated algorithm. Basically a computer could process terabytes of data within seconds and then make predictions based on the data it received. ‘AI’ so called, wasn’t capable of more than that.

Then there were chatbots. Every single day, millions of chatbots are scattered all across the internet. Some are designed to just troll real users accounts and make their lives miserable. Others can (and do) create social media accounts and interact with real users, without anyone being the wiser. Chatbots appear to be intelligent, but they’re essentially just algorithms themselves. All they can really do is just parrot various words of phrases. Thus far being incapable of real conversation. ChatGPT is a good example. ChatGPT is an advanced chatbot, it can answer questions and execute certain commands, but many users have noticed a lack of coherence. Such as when the chatbot began to lecture one user of the usefulness of adding ground porcelain in baby formula. At its core ChatGPT is still just an algorithm, very far from ‘true AI’.

Then we come to what OpenAI is now doing. This ‘digital consciousness’ they’ve proposed is unlike anything we’ve seen to date. It represents the next phase of AI, and stands as proof that AI advancement has increased exponentially.

OpenAI has clearly learned from developing ChatGPT. ChatGPT is currently the most advanced AI system open to the public. As we just outlined, it’s very far from being true AI. What OpenAI has realized is that building an AI system from scratch just isn’t working. Instead, they’ve decided to build AI from actual people. It would be similar to attempting to build a robot with the bones of people.

Sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke said that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”. Back in the sixties that sounded clever, now it sounds eerie. All of the sudden we’ve entered a new age of technology. Now its not just about building a faster phone with 200 megapixels. Now scientists are attempting to bring the wildest dreams of humanity to life.

In this case, we’re talking about immortality. What OpenAI is talking about it really just the tip of the iceberg. (Google ‘transhumanist cybernetics’, there’s some very interesting reading there) This ultimately represents an attempt to reach the Holy Grail, or the Fountain of Youth. Throughout human history, there has always been this attempt to reach life eternal. Back in ancient China Emperor Qin-Shi Huang died by drinking liquid mercury, being told that it would give him eternal life.

ChatGPT was just the beginning. Phase one if you will. This FaceBook partnership is beyond huge, it really hasn’t gotten the paper media coverage. What OpenAI is really working on is trying to figure out how to transfer consciousness to the cloud. That’s not just me saying this, did you google ‘transhumanist cybernetics’ yet?

Like I said, this represents the next epoch of technology and advancement. I don’t think we’re anywhere near ready for this. At first, things won’t be so bad. Assuming the 2025 date is accurate, then what will happen by then is you’ll just be dealing with ChatGPT version 2. What will initially happen is that the AI will be making predictions based on the data it has logged. But here’s the kicker, unlike most chatbots, which can’t really learn, this time there will be true AI. Just like every child has to learn to walk, in 2025 there will be baby steps. But it will learn, and the AI system will learn quickly.

As stated the goal is to ultimately move beyond this digital dress up, and then start actually moving human consciousness. There are a lot of powerful, influential people behind this. Billions of dollars already poured into this. The big idea is that in the future every human being will be stuck in some sort of digital universe, once we’ve figured out how to upload a persons consciousness. (Me personally, I’m still unsure such a thing is actually possible) All this is an attempt reach immortality. To truly live forever. Assuming this giant experiment actually works, then there could be people who live for hundreds of years. But much like Pandora who opened the box out of childish curiosity, and then literally unleashed hell on earth, I wonder if we aren’t doing the same thing? Do we really understand what we’re unleashing? I’m no luddite or anything, but I am concerned. So far the ‘oversight’ supposedly checking in on AI has been laughably pathetic. I’d sooner nominate a stalk of celery to look over AI, than the incompetents running things now.

Just to clarify, I’m not suggesting that in 2025 all of the sudden we’ll all become plugged into some sort of digital Matrix. We’re a good ways off from that. I am saying it could happen in our lifetimes. On a lighter note, I am curious; will OpenAI render my annoying dead relative still annoying? That’s something no one has asked yet. What if my dead relative was a really annoying person, does that mean my FaceBook page will be inundated with really irritating comments? For some people that could end up being a real pain. I guess we’ll all just have to see in 2025.