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#科技观察
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Musk's Super Brain: Revolution
- The future of computers
Yu: Last time we talked about Musk investing in digital currencies. These two days saw a message that Musk announced that he would conduct human trials of brain-computer interfaces by the end of 2021. What do you think about this?
Chen: The emergence of digital currencies is based on the advancement of computer technology, and the computing technology of computers is based on the large-scale integrated circuits manufactured by silicon semiconductors. Until now, the large-scale integrated circuits of silicon semiconductors have approached the physical limit, that is, nanoscale circuits, at this level, the isolation between circuits has become very difficult, and the process requirements and difficulties of manufacturing are also very high. With the continuous improvement of the demand for computing, human beings have begun to focus on the next generation of computing technology, and a variety of supercomputing technologies that can surpass semiconductors are being conceived, including biological computing and quantum computing.
The core of modern computers is to solve the problem of 0 and 1, and all computing and storage are finally implemented with 0 and 1. Therefore, how to achieve the largest scale of 0 and 1 judgment and storage in the smallest space and the shortest time is the essence of all computing technologies. In silicon semiconductors, by increasing the density of integrated circuits, we can continuously improve the computing and storage capabilities of 0 and 1 per unit area and volume, which is what we all know as Moore's Law (we can understand the calculation of 0 and 1 as a small switch). But after decades of continuous development, we have approached the physical limits of Moore's Law, with the smallest circuits only 4nm, the size of 40 silicon atoms. To continue to improve computing power, we can only find new possibilities outside of silicon semiconductors, and quantum computing has come to the stage of history. Anyone who has a certain understanding of quantum mechanics should have heard of the quantum "uncertainty" principle and Schrödinger's cat, and this property of the quantum, that is, the superposition of states (at the same time, 0 is also 1), determines that it can be used for computing, and it will reach the nth power of 2, that is, 500 quanta, and its computing power is 2 to the 500th power, which is an unimaginably huge number, exceeding the computing power of all computers in the world. Global IT giants, including Google, and scientific research institutions in many countries, are actively researching quantum computing technology, and there have been certain breakthroughs, although it is still very far from real commercial or practical applications. But once this technology is broken, it does not rule out the use of quantum computers to crack the cryptography of the blockchain. The reason why blockchain technology is now considered a secure technology is because the current computer's ability to crack such a level of password on the blockchain may not be counted out in 10,000 years, but if there is a quantum computer, it may become a spear of shield breaking.
I recently read a book called "Is God a Mathematician?" It is dedicated to the impact of mathematics and computers on human development. The fundamental question is, is this world a mathematical world? Is mathematics the objective world? Or is it inherent in the human brain's thinking? To understand this problem, the first thing to understand is to figure out what mathematics is. We usually think that the thinking of the human brain arises from the observation and cognition of the surrounding world, that is, the projection of the objective world in the brain. But once humans have mathematical thinking, this inference is completely overturned. Because there are no numbers in nature, let alone any mathematical formulas, and how these invisible and untouchable numbers enter the human brain, nature has become the most mysterious thing that human beings think, based on this, God seems to be a mathematician, and we humans, as God's chosen people, are the only ones with mathematical thinking ability, able to understand God and read the life of this world. But the development of modern computing technology and the emergence of artificial intelligence have made this problem seem to become more complicated and blurred. Human beings are in the stage of artificial intelligence, that is, computer computing power surpassing the human brain. In the next 10 to 20 years, the computing power of an ordinary laptop of $1,000 will exceed the brains of all of us. At the same time, human understanding of the brain and brain nerve cells has reached a new level. We can now perform a series of quantitative analyses of brain nerves, discovering the relationship between human emotions and brain responses and physical and chemical changes in brain nerve cells, so that we can intervene in the activity of brain nerve cells to control your emotions, emotions, and even thoughts.
Musk's brain-computer interface technology is a fusion of computer computing power and human brain science. That is to say, the connection point between matter and spirit, now someone has found it. Where is this connection between matter and spirit? Is the world one or two? Brain-computer interface technology, if it is broken, will also be a philosophical breakthrough. The ultimate world of matter and spirit will become one and become a monistic world. I think that if this development continues, many of the original rules and ethics of human society will undergo great changes as a result.
Yu: Musk's brain-computer interface technology sounds like a science fiction movie, if it really succeeds, will there be a legendary superhuman?
Chen: That's for sure. Of course, to appear superhuman, more advanced brain-computer interfaces and artificial intelligence are also needed, through which human consciousness and memory are transformed, and people can quickly acquire a large number of knowledge and skills, and obtain superpowers that ordinary humans cannot have. What new phenomena such supermans will produce are unimaginable to us. But one thing is certain, the future world will form a new class because of the emergence of superman, and will these superhuman classes with giant brains control the general public in an unprecedented way? Is this the evolution of human society or a regression? In addition, in addition to developing brain function, "digital immortality" is also another possibility brought to human beings by brain-computer interfaces. The development of brain-computer interface technology will enable people to use chips to reproduce human consciousness and memory and upload them, store them in devices, or download them to a new human body or robot. Even if the body dies, the digital person can live forever and exist in various life scenarios of family society. So, in the end, will humans become tools and puppets of artificial intelligence? Which comes first, technological progress or ethics? These questions all need to be answered. Today, when we look at the big IT companies in this way, don't you think they have become the "superman"?
Yu: There is also a very worrying question: what if someone steals my personal information through the brain-computer external connection line, and even controls my thinking?
Chen: That's really a problem. But I think any new technology has two sides, depending on whether you are "for good" or "for evil." For example, brain-computer interface technology is now called a "good" application, that is, the use of this technology to treat brain disorders. If someone wants to be "evil", like you said, snooping on privacy, stealing personal information, etc., this can happen. I think that as long as the control is properly regulated, the future of brain-computer interfaces may be just a powerful tool for human work and life. The worries about these advanced technologies are understandable, but it does not mean that we humans should be complacent, even if we can't see clearly in the future, the brain-computer interface is bound to be the trend of the times, no matter what, we can only find a moment of peace in our lives in the rolling torrent of history, there is no need to worry too much.
Yu: Some people say that Musk is a "half crazy and half crazy" person. In addition to the exploration of human-machine integration, there are his Falcon recyclable rockets and Starlink Net, his Mars colonization plan, his Tesla electric car, and even the digital currency he invests in, etc., these seemingly out-of-bounds things seem to have a sci-fi-style, very grand ultimate goal.
Chen: He is indeed a technology maniac, a pioneer in science and technology, or an explorer. He did so many earth-shattering things alone, it was truly amazing. Musk is a man of great wisdom, and everything he does revolves around the layout of the future, and there is some internal connection between them. For example, I believe he is thinking about what to do between digital currencies and electric vehicles, one is announcing that tesla can be bought with bitcoin, and then his company invests another $1.5 billion in bitcoin, and even issuing digital currency himself, which shows that he is thinking about a correlation between digital currencies and his business in the future. I believe that if every car becomes a blockchain, a miner, or a supercomputer, such a ubiquitous, on-call vehicle and computer combination, there are too many application scenarios that can be imagined. Now tesla electric vehicles are ready to connect with the Starlink network, which will become a subversion of the automotive industry. Future technological developments, including brain-computer interface technology, will redefine human society and civilization far beyond our imagination today.
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Text / Chen Yunshui
All rights reserved
Figure / from the network
Interview, Editor / Yu Mingfei