Preface
In 1997, the American computer scientist Kurzweil said in a speech: "Based on the computing power of today's computers 100 million times per second, I predict that by the period from 2020 to 2040, scientific and technological innovation will reach the power of human life and death, so that human beings can achieve immortality within this time period." ”
These words undoubtedly set off a wave of climax in front of his audience at the time, but then they were put to the back of their minds. But unexpectedly, in the past less than 25 years, this prediction has once again attracted attention because of his identity.
Because this scientist – Raymond Kurzweil – is not only a computer scientist, but also a futurist. And from 1984 to 2007, he was also an inventor with a deep connection to Google.
At the time, Kuzwell was a member of a technical advisory board that advised on the manufacturing and development of Google Brain and Google Translate bots.
Brandyn Webb, Google's top scientist at the time, said of Kurzweil: "He was an important person in changing the way we look at computers." ”
Now, with his several identities, people have begun to discuss his new prophecy this time, only to hear that "2029-2030, human beings will be able to live forever", how likely is this?
1. How credible are the predictions of futurists?
When they are young, most people are curious about the future when they will be able to go to college, when they will find a job they love, and when they will be able to have a car and a house.
When you reach a certain age, you become concerned about death. After all, as long as there is the last person alive in this world, then human civilization will and will always exist.
And this kind of "eternal desire" brought about by the "eternal existence" will make futurists the object of much discussion.
After all, people in this circle almost all predict the future with a super high frequency, and they say it every day, and as a result, everyone has the wonder of "where did so many predictions come from".
But among the various prognosticators, Kurzweil's prophecy seems to be more exciting due to his research and judgment of technology. Because not every futurist he says has made the world a better place, and Kurzweil's predictions have come true one by one.
For example, he predicted that "in 1998, computers would beat Garry Kasparov in a chess match", and in 1997, IBM's Deep Blue defeated Yugeng Garry Kasparov at the World Chess Championship.
For example, Kurzweil predicted that "machines will pass the Turing Test around 2029", and now artificial intelligence technology is moving towards his prediction.
This kind of accuracy is more than one or two times, and his predictions have also made him often appear on people's lips, and the title has risen to "the closest person to whom".
Therefore, when someone hears his new prediction, although most people don't pay attention to the bragging about it, they still say "I don't know if it will really come true this time" when they talk about it.
This enduring attention has also made the futurist's figure more visible, and his speech has become more and more important. The topic of "eternal life" is back on the table.
2. Achieving "Immortality" through Technology
The word "eternal life" is nothing new. Long ago, people created objects that made them more comfortable based on their environment.
This is also true on the road to "eternal life", which has been thought of by humans for thousands of years. But with the advancement of science and technology, while they are realized one by one, "eternal life" is no longer an unattainable dream.
Today, with the gradual development of science and technology, Kurzweil's prediction of "achieving immortality by 2030" has once again been brought up and recited because with the current level of scientific and technological development, this idea is no longer a fantasy.
You know, while the word "immortality" may sound unrealistic, scientists have taken a big step forward in using technology to promote longevity in families so that people can enjoy life for longer.
In other words, if people take advantage of the rapid development of science and technology, while enjoying the convenience brought by technology, they are constantly adjusting themselves, about 2030?
In this way, people think of "nanorobots", which sounds like a very lofty technology. Kurzweil proposed this technology in the hope of achieving "immortality" of human beings through nanorobots.
The so-called nanobots are actually high-tech machines that perform high-end control. It can not only get close to the "waiting for death" cells of the human body, but also change the condition of the human body, and can also change the shape of the human body.
In the process of developing nanorobots, scientists have found that as long as human DNA is used as a code, human DNA can be easily copied onto an artificial genome.
This discovery gives a glimpse of the vision of scientists to develop super nanorobots.
More interestingly, according to a 2016 paper published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, scientists have succeeded in repairing problematic genes in the body of a mouse using nanorobots.
This also brings a new opportunity for the experimental research and development of nanorobots in the human body.
It can be said that with the current level of technological development, even if the technology of "nanorobots" sounds unrealistic, the invention of scientists using nanotechnology to copy human DNA onto artificial genomes is also a bold "first step".
According to the research of scientists, in the future, people will create an "artificial genome" of human beings, and then use nanorobots to repair the problematic genes in the human body, so as to extend the life span of human beings.
So a higher point, even "improve" human memory, improve people's cognitive ability, which means that in the future, because of the innovation of science and technology, people will even create an existence similar to "Shen Yun".
3. Technology is a double-edged sword
"Are nanobots so amazing? Then I can live forever?"
Friends and family can't wait to give the scientists a shout-out. After all, the use of nanorobots to extend the life span of humans is not a small problem, and it is also possible for humans to upgrade their human body repair in the future.
But doubts about technology have also followed: although the new technology of "nanorobots" has not been established for a long time, every research by scientists has the potential to change the future of mankind.
In other words, if people only spend more money to study its "process", more people will use nanorobots as an "artificial sun" to conduct side-by-side research.
This also means that although nanobots are a key to "immortality" of human beings, they may also become a "murder weapon" for the demise of human beings.
In addition, while people are imagining the future technology of "nanorobots", they are also curious about the "human structure" of the future "human body" that "merges" the human body and nanorobots.
Scientists generally use "brain-computer interface technology", or "nanorobots" to "connect" human "brain cells", both of which may become a way for scientists to study the "fusion of human body and nanorobots" in the future.
Based on this, the development of science and technology is constantly changing the future.
Although "fusion" sounds "cool", people are worried that if one day, nanobots are powerful enough to control the life and death of humans, or whether human memory and cognitive abilities will be seriously "weakened" because of this, these are all doubts about the future.
This means that people are still waiting to see how much technological innovation will change the future of mankind, and at the same time, they are full of doubts, whether these technologies will make human life better, or will make human beings perish in the process.
The author believes that:
For a long time, the goal of longevity and Tianqi has been deeply rooted in people's hearts, and with the continuous efforts of scientists, the life expectancy of human beings is also increasing, which also confirms the development of science and technology.
But technology is a double-edged sword, once used incorrectly, it will backfire, maybe in the future we will also see technology add luster to our lives, but there will also be people who will go to destruction in order to live forever.
Therefore, I hope that everyone can have a correct understanding of technology and let it become an assistant to our lives rather than a master of our lives.