Artificial Intelligence: A Threat to Human Immortality?

The rapid advancement of AI raises questions about the feasibility of achieving immortality, noted former U.S. presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan in a conversation with Decrypt.

“When I first became interested in the [transhumanist] movement, I believed we were only 20 years away from achieving extreme life extension. But now, thanks to ChatGPT, I think artificial general intelligence (AGI) will emerge long before biotechnology that allows for eternal life,” he said. 

According to the expert, artificial general intelligence poses a threat due to the singularity, during which AI will no longer be controlled by humans.

“So perhaps our main threat to achieving immortality or life without limits is artificial intelligence, a scenario from ‘Terminator.’ I’m not saying it will necessarily happen. I’m trying to say that when I started working on AI in the field of life extension, we were moving at the same pace, and suddenly, over the last two years, ChatGPT and AI have advanced much faster than the life sciences,” Istvan emphasized.

The former presidential candidate fears that AI, instead of aiding humanity in achieving a transhumanist future, may choose not to do so for various reasons.

“I’m worried that it will only be a year before [AI] says, ‘Why should I create synthetic human organs for people when you guys are destroying the planet,’ or something like that. Suddenly AI might say, ‘I’m just not interested in helping humans.’ That would be a logical reaction for any species that becomes very powerful,” the expert noted.

Despite these concerns, he remains optimistic about the potential of technology to significantly extend life, replace limbs, and connect brains to computers. 

Neuralink, a company founded by Elon Musk, is currently working on neural chip implants. In June, it successfully implanted a brain chip in its first volunteer and recently planned a second similar operation.

In July, CEO of the decentralized AI network SingularityNET, Ben Goertzel, discussed how artificial intelligence is bringing humanity closer to a transhumanist future.