Artificial Intelligence as a Catalyst for Transhumanism

Ben Goertzel, CEO of the decentralized AI network SingularityNET and chairman of the transhumanist organization Humanity+, discussed with Decrypt how artificial intelligence is bringing humanity closer to a transhumanist future.

He noted that while we have a vast amount of data on the human body and various organisms, our minds or standard machine learning cannot fully comprehend and process all this information. AI can assist in this by generating various hypotheses.

Nanotechnology was highlighted by the expert as a promising area for achieving breakthroughs.

“AI is far better than humans at designing things on the nanoscale or femtoscale. We have a lot of practical know-how about assembling things at scales where we intuitively understand physics, but we lack good intuition for physics at the nano- and femtoscale, and AI can handle this as well as it does the scale we currently operate in,” he said.

Goertzel pointed out that neural networks could be useful for decoding signals originating from the brain.

Transhumanism Beyond the Wealthy

Critics of transhumanism argue that the movement is akin to “playing God,” benefiting only the wealthy and elite. According to Goertzel, this will not always be the case; efforts must be made to ensure broader and more equitable access to technology. He cited the spread of smartphones as an example.

“These little mobile supercomputers we all carry have benefited not just the rich. […] Even if you go to a village in sub-Saharan Africa, everyone has basic phones. They use them to stay in touch with family and check city prices for various agricultural goods they sell,” he said.

Goertzel emphasized the role of blockchain and cryptocurrencies in reducing costs and expanding access to technologies that enhance human capabilities.

“Theoretically, blockchain and cryptocurrencies can help address these issues by creating a parallel economic system, independent of outdated economic systems. In practice, this is challenging because many governments ban cryptocurrency,” he said.

AI and Transhumanism Will Not Be Banned

The CEO of SingularityNET notes that there should be limits on which transhumanism research should be conducted to prevent fatalities. He mentioned that laws are already being developed with such restrictions in mind. Humanity should determine how to apply technology for the common good.

“I don’t think attempts to ban AI will succeed because it provides too much valuable utility to many people and businesses. There aren’t many precedents for a free society banning something beneficial to everyone. And I think ultimately the same will be true for technologies focused on transhumanism,” the expert concluded.

In January, Elon Musk’s startup Neuralink successfully implanted a brain chip in its first volunteer, Noland Arbo. A month later, he was able to control a computer mouse with his mind.

In May, Arbo shared insights about the technology and changes in his daily life.