An Artificial Intelligence pioneer is embracing the controversial idea of uploading the memories, thoughts and feelings of a living person into a computer to create a Mind Clone or second self. The prototype for this new self is called Bina-48.

Entrepreneur Martine Rothblatt has created a new robotic head that she hopes, one day in the future, humans will be able to upload their minds into. Bina-48 is named after Rothblatts real-life wife, Bina Aspen, and serves as a proof-of-concept for the futuristic idea. The robot version is designed to carry on a conversation, with scientists hoping that these mind clones could give human owners a sort of artificial afterlife.

I believe Mind Clones will be humanitys biggest invention. The market opportunity is limitless, Rothblatt told Bloomberg News. Ultimately just like we all want a smart phone, we all want a social media account we are all going to want a Mind Clone. It will make everything in our life more useful, more valuable. It will give us twice as much time to do everything.

Bena-48 was created five years ago as a digital replica uploaded with Bina Aspens thoughts, memories and feelings all of which were broken down into computer code to create a digital version of her consciousness. Created by Hanson Robotics, Bina-48 can engage in conversation, answer questions and even have spontaneous thoughts that are derived from multimedia data in a mindfile created by the real Bina.

A similar mindfile is created when a person interacts on Twitter or Facebook and shares photos or blogs regularly in essence, its a digital database of thoughts, memories, feelings and opinions. Mindware mimics the way the human brain supposedly organizes information, creates emotions and achieves self-awareness.

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The proliferation of robots like Bina-48 may seem farfetched now, but Rothblatt is the woman who helped pioneered satellite radio as founder of Sirius and now oversees biotech innovation at United Therapeutics.

Mind Clone is a digital copy of your mind outside of your body, said Rothblatt. I think Mind Clone will look like an avatar on the screen, talking, instead of a robot version. Mind Clones are 10-20 years away.

Am I talking about a law of physics here? Am I talking about defying gravity here? No. Am I talking about going faster than light? No. All I am doing here is talking about writing some good code.

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Companies such as eterni.me, Gordon Bells MyLifeBits, and Terasems Lifenaut are all pursuing Mind Clone to help a persons personality, work and relationships survive after death.

Eterni.me is a proposed for-profit service that will reportedly offer immortality by creating a virtual YOU, an avatar that emulates your personality and can interact with, and offer information and advice to your family and friends, even after you pass away.

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Living forever as robot? Prototype lets humans upload ...