Category Archives: Transhuman

Top 20 Of 201) BRITISH LION - The Burning (Explorer1)2) DEAD KOSMONAUT - Gravitas (High Roller)3) EVILDEAD - United $tate$ Of Anarchy (SPV/Steamhammer)4) PYOGENESIS - A Silent Soul Screams Loud (AFM)5) PRIMAL FEAR - Metal Commando (Nuclear Blast)6) ACCUSER Accuser (Metal Blade)7) WISHBONE ASH - Coat of Arms (SPV/Steamhammer)8) GOD DETHRONED - Illuminati (Metal Blade)9) ANNIHILATOR - Ballistic, Sadistic (Silver Lining)10) ARMORED SAINT - Punching The Sky (Metal Blade)11) GREEN CARNATION - Leaves Of Yesteryear (Season Of Mist)12) HEATHEN Empire of the Blind (Nuclear Blast)13) THE ATOMIC BITCHWAX - Scorpio (Tee Pee)14) MORTA SKULD - Suffer For Nothing (Peaceville)15) DEMONS & WIZARDS III (Centruy Media)16) RAGE Wings of Rage (SPV/Steamhammer)17) LIONHEART The Reality of Miracles (Metalville)18) DEEP PURPLE Whoosh! (earMUSIC)19) TESTAMENT Titans of Creation (Nuclear Blast)20) PARADISE LOST Obsidian (Nuclear Blast)

Top 5 Brave Embarrassments

POPPY I Disagree (Warner)Ask yourself why this is always given as a recommendation for a new metal album when the 'singer' outwardly says this is not metal. Transhumanist drivel from a talentless, creepy, walking meme. Does not deserve the metal label in any way, shape or form.

NAPALM DEATH Throes of Joy in the Jaws of Defeatism (Century Media)There was a point in the late '90s where Napalm Death were in danger of doing something different, groundbreaking and daring to intersperse their former embarrassments (seconds of grunting and finishing belongs in the bedroom) with innovation. Now? They just want to prove how they have still got it but its forced both musically and lyrically. Horrible cover art too.

SEPULTURA Quadra (Nuclear Blast)Reunions suck as its always about the money. In this case though, I would happily pay to see the Cavalera brothers back in the band. For so many years, Andreas Kisser and Paolo Jr. have been flying their own flag and somehow no one has told them to just stop, please stop, making music. Every song sounds indistinct with the repetitive and soulless bark of Derrick Green. Utterly pointless.

DANZIG Danzig Sings Elvis (Cleopatra)Actually, this is not so bad. The problem is Fonzig is in his mid-60s and is making music worthy of his age. In itself that is admittedly less horrible than most Danzig output since the first four albums. Yet this is toe curling, like being in a cemetery and hearing a ghost with a purple rinse crooning beneath some moss. Only for limping Goths who might also still believe Elvis is the king.

BODY COUNT Carnivore (Century Media)Ice-T is 62 years old and despite his reputation as a renegade has been toeing the party line (an actor, playing a cop after a supposed shitstorm of anti-authority controversy in the 90s?!) for way too long. Where Body Count was once truly relevant and original, its now a mere habit. Out of the ten songs, two are covers, which sums up the lack of creativity.

Thoughts On 2020A year of big name acts split effectively into two: One for those who carry the flag in a new and innovative way and do it with style (Wishbone Ash) or just about scrape through (Deep Purple). Two is those who should have put the instruments down some time ago (Sepultura especially but even AC/DC is pushing it too far at this point).

Overall a strong year for bands who are still plying a trademark sound (Sodom, Vader and so on) as well as those still trying to prise a semblance of experimentation from a solid blueprint, such as Paradise Lost. I expected more from the most miserable band in the world in all honesty; they are capable of better, but theyre still around and that's a joy.

Great to see the return of Evildead with trademark Ed Repka artwork and an album that manages to reincarnate their classic sound whilst updating just a touch for 2020. Sure missed that Karlos Medina dirty bass rumble.

A great year overall for German bands. Nice to see strong returns from the likes of Accuser and Primal Fear who are always trustworthy. Is there a better example of strength in metal than Ralf Scheepers?

Specific mention to Pyogenesis, a criminally underrated band who once again have released a gorgeous, melodic and original album.

For many years, the best metal came out of Sweden which seemed to lose pace at some point. Until Dead Kosmonaut, who have been releasing truly innovative metal for several years now. Gravitas is their best work yet.

The British Lion album is so far and away the best crafted album of the year its almost embarrassing. Their debut was a little heavy going at times but The Burning is a colossus. Everything about it is perfectly delivered and after 8 years they have somehow managed to come together and produce a beautifully cohesive opus. Album of the decade.

What/Who Needs To Stop In 2021Its time for sexy female singers to go. There are far too many tattooed, skintight princess warriors out there who manage to maintain attention simply for the way they look. Isnt this to be frowned upon in the modern world? Can we go back to a simpler time where 95% of the women into metal were plain greasers, or just that tad overweight? I want to see plain women who havent attended the Guitar Institute of Technology and instead just play from the heart for the love of it.

Crowd funding campaigns for bands/artists who dont need the money. Instead the money should be raised by big name artists and then put into new labels where new signings can be paid advances like the old days.

Metal Predictions For 2021Festivals will all be cancelled leaving only smaller outdoor shows where people stand 3 miles apart from each other and listen on headphones.

Thanks to this, more bands will create online only shows. KISS is showing the way to go as they hold a special online New Years Eve show to round out this year. Expect servers to crash when big name bands play online only shows.

Metallica and Megadeth will both release new albums and tour (indoors) together.

Meshuggah will return with an experimental and slightly lighter side, with a contender for album of the year.

A year of reunions. Among them, Anthrax will realise John Bush is still the best singer they ever had and he will take over for their new album.

Xentrix will rightly reform with Chris Astley and Paul McKenzie, bringing back the classic line-up of the most underrated British metal band of all time.

More Scribes Speak:Mark GromenCarl BegaiAaron SmallRich CatinoNick BalazsDillon Collins

Check out our BravePicks 2020 countdown where Enslaved took the top spothere.

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BravePicks 2020 - The Scribes Speak! Paul Stenning - bravewords.com

GOTY 2020

(Image credit: Future)

In addition to our team-selected Game of the Year Awards 2020, individual members of the PC Gamer team each select one of their own favourite games of the year. We'll post new personal picks, alongside the main awards, throughout the rest of the month.

Cloudpunk's transformation has been a pleasure to watch. The version that launched in April was greata cyberpunk courier romp that saw you exploring the dystopian city of Nivalis in your flying car and on foot. Massive voxel spires tearing through the clouds below you; walkways filled with street vendors, dealers and corporate security; everywhere you look something eye-catching and unusual. It's a game you can wrap up in 10 hours, but one that beckons you to explore it for days. Weeks.

If developer Ion Lands had left it that, I'd still probably be writing about Cloudpunk here. I'd still be gushing about Rainia, a rare cyberpunk protagonist who isn't dying from cynicism, who's cool because she absolutely isn't trying to be. And of course I wouldn't forget about Camus, her constant companion. He was an AI dog in a former life, and now he's a car. He's the best boy. The pair meet a lot of fascinating people during their first night on the job, and through them Cloudpunk explores transhumanism, terrorism, AI rights and all sorts of topics, both speculative and relevant now.

Cloudpunk is dense with worldbuilding, but it's not bogged down in it. Nivalis itself is huge and ancient, the sort of thing you can't really know, but you'll come to understand it pretty well, and the greater world around it, just by driving around. In a few hours, you'll have the kind of strong sense of place that a lot of games fail to produce after 50 hours. And like us, Rainia is a newcomer to the city, encountering its oddities for the first time. She doesn't just accept that "this is how it is". She's frequently stunned by it, but also very critical. It's an incredible place that also happens to be deeply fucked up and broken.

So yeah, it was fantastic. Then the first-person mode appeared, initially for the on-foot sections. Previously, these were presented side-on with a fixed camera, and while the ability to explore the city outside of the car was very welcome, I always found myself aching to return to my boxy, banged-up vehicle. The first-person mode changed that straight away. Walking around became a delight. Wizardry must have been involved. The game wasn't designed with a first-person perspective in mind, but it works so damn well. Now I can't imagine playing it any other way. And it only took Ion Lands a month to implement. As I said: wizardry.

Viewing the city up close really lets you admire the impressive voxel art and so many little details that were hard to pick out when it kept you at a distance. It's so much larger and intimidating and lively, but simultaneously intimate. An unlocked third-person camera was also added, and most recently a first-person driving mode, letting you experience the whole game from Rainia's eyes. It's the best way to see the city, but I'm just as enamoured with the inside of my car, which includes a diegetic display that puts your fuel meter, bank balance, minimap and other helpful details on the dashboard.

Cloudpunk could have just let me fly my car around a weird city in the distant future and I would have absolutely been content, but it reeled me in with its intriguing, understated story and then catapulted itself to the top of my favourite games list thanks to the extra attention it's received from Ion Lands. Jumping back in to grab some screenshots, I was reminded just how seductive Nivalis is, and while the story is behind me, I don't think I'm quite done being a tourist.

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Cloudpunk is an exceptional cyberpunk game that keeps getting better - PC Gamer

This year has been quite tumultuous for businesses as well as provided then with an opportunity to venture into uncertainty with the help of technology. Disruptive technologies like robotics, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, cloud rose to the occasion to sustain industries amid the crisis. Thus bringing numerous innovations and leapfrogging existing digital age to new heights. In the meantime, quantum computing which was predicted as an emerging trend for 2020 had a fruitful year, thanks to significant advancements that took place during this time.

For instance, in February, quantum computing company, D-Wave Systems Inc., launched Leap-2, which is the first quantum cloud service designed for developers and organizations to easily build and deploy real-world hybrid quantum applications with practical impact. In March, researchers at theU.S. Army Research Laboratorycreated a quantum sensor to detect communications over the entire radio frequency spectrum.

In October, IonQ announced itsnext-generation quantum computer systemwith 32 qubits and an expected quantum volume greater than four million. Quantum volume is a measurement of the overall power of a quantum machine. Later in the same month, theAccredited Standards Committee (ASC X9)issued a new standard for public-key cryptography use of digital signatures.

And most recently, China developed a quantum computing system called Jiuzhang which is reported to be 10 billion times faster than Googles Sycamore.Using, Gaussian boson sampling, Jiuzhang had captured 76 photons and also achieved quantum supremacy. Overall, the latest advancements in quantum computing have been some serious steps towards making it a commercial and scientific reality.

While quantum computing continues to garner billions of dollars of investment across the globe, in the recent coming years, it may be available as a cloud service. Not only that, quantum computing may also become an integral part of data analytics too.

Meanwhile, IDC has predictedthat by 2023, 25% of Fortune 500 companies will gain a competitive advantage from quantum computing. Tech giant IBM plans to deliver a quantum computer with a 1,121-qubit processor (codenamed Condor), inside a 10-foot tall super-fridge that will be online and capable of delivering aQuantum Advantage, by 2023. The Goldeneye fridge is currently in prototype and is designed to be capable of hosting multiple chips. IBM hints that such super-fridges will ultimately be capable of stacking multiple chips providing millions of internally networked qubits.

Quantum advantage is the point where certain information processing tasks can be performed more efficiently or cost-effectively on a quantum computer, in comparison to a traditional system.

Bob Sutor, vice president of IBM Quantum Strategy and Ecosystem says, This year, a number of IBM Q Network organizations collaborated with us to make significant progress in quantum research for industry, including work with Mitsubishi Chemical on applying quantum computing to help develop lithium-oxygen batteries with greater energy density. ExxonMobil to harness quantum computing to develop more accurate chemistry simulation techniques in energy technologies. And Daimler to explore how quantum computing can advance the next generation of EV batteries.Sutor believes that by the following year,over 20,000 will complete online quantum computing technology and coding courses.

Even Steve Gibson, Chief Strategy Officer of Strangeworks, the quantum computing startup company, has announced that Strangeworks will launch its initial offering of the platform in the first quarter of 2021, and the enterprise edition is coming in late 2021.

In terms of key trends that will dominate the quantum computing landscape in the following, it is still early to predict with accuracy. Yet, one can undoubtedly expect major advancements like:

Experts also forecast that in 2021 programmers will concentrate on developing quantum-safe cryptography while cybersecurity will also benefit from quantum computing applications. The latter was also mentioned in CB Insights 2020 Tech Trends report. The report acknowledges howQuantum Key Distribution (QKD)will play as a cybersecurity tool, by securing organizations against quantum-based attacks.

Coming back to cryptography, it is likely that any of the current quantum computing labs or companies may announce that their system has broken the traditional asymmetric key cipher. While Jiuzhangs recent feat fueled rumors about the threat to cryptosystems, fortunately, the quantum computer prototype was unable to solve the factoring problem that is crucial to decoding encrypted information.

Whether, quantum systems will pose a threat or not, to existing blockchain or other cryptography technologies, it is better if companies are prepared for such possibilities. This is because while a traditional computer may take years to crack a weak password string, given the advanced processing capabilities of qubits, it can be a matter of some time, before the world has a public-key of security devices and softwares.

As mentioned earlier, IBM has announced its ambitious plan of building a 1,121-qubit computer (Condor) for 2023. But before that, IBM has projected to launch a 127-qubit computer (codenamed Eagle) in 2021 and a 433-qubit computer(codenamed Osprey) in 2022. These announcements stem from the tech giants target of doubling quantum volume each year.

Meanwhile, Rigetti also plans to seize the qubit count lead with a 4x32Q multichip Aspen module. At the same time, while Googles Sycamore has 53-qubit processing, Google has designed a roadmap of 102Q (logical qubit prototype), 103Q (one logical qubit) in the next coming months.

Therefore, one can expect a narrow heated competition among leading quantum computing companies aiming to attain qubit count lead in 2021.

It is one of the most discussed forecasts that artificial intelligence and quantum computing can benefit each other by enhancing others abilities.

As perFrank Feather, CEO at AI-FUTURE Inc, quantum computing will scale-up rapidly in 2021 and will start to transform Artificial Intelligence into truly Advanced Intelligence. He also adds that, Quantum plus Advanced Intelligence (or QAI) will start to congregate with BioGenetic Sciences to create super-intelligent humanoids (a BioDigi TransHuman Species) in future years.

Simultaneously, applications of artificial intelligence like machine learning, computer vision will be accelerated if run on quantum systems. This will mean faster analysis of data in sectors like fraud detection, drug compound discovery and more. It will also boost Generative AI by expanding the datasets used to train generative or machine, learning models.

For instance, by integrating quantum processing units into the traditional computing framework has the potential to boost the quality of the images generated in say, a facial recognition system. So if we depend upon, the expanded dataset comprising of vast image data (quantitative, qualitative and variety) can significantly improve the detection model.

While IBM and Rigetti employ superconducting qubits, quantum computing systems from Honeywell and IonQ rely on using ion-trap based qubits. With its 6Q H0 and 10Q H1 ((linear trap) processors, Honeywell is also leading the quantum race.

Trapped ion generally offer superior connectivity and higher gate fidelity advantages than its superconducting qubit counterpart. But the major issue with trapped ion systems is that they provide significantly slower gate speeds (typically x100-1000 slower) than superconducting qubits. Experts suggest offsetting this with longer qubit lifetimes and higher fidelities leading to less error correction overhead.

As trapped-ion based quantum computing vendors are accelerating the maturity of their stacks, they also need to address the challenges posed by the trapped ion concept too.

IonQ believes that by pairing Bacon-Shor-13 code with high fidelity physical qubits can be the answer and also help it achieve quantum advantage sooner than others.

Another problem associated with Trapped ion is scaling up. Fortunately, AQT has a solution to this: usage of qubits defined on optical transitions instead of hyperfine transitions which are used by Honeywell and IonQ.

So, in 2021, we can expect AQT joining the ranks of Honeywell and IonQ is trapped ion quantum approach, and at the same time can anticipate more systems based on this concept.

Go here to read the rest:
Quantum Computing 2021: How will this Tech Fare in the Coming Months? - Analytics Insight

VidCon, which bills itself as a celebration of online video and digital creators, launched VidCon Now, an ongoing digital experience this past summer. This December, VidCon Asia will program local VidCon Now sessions featuring industry leaders and talent, as part of the Singapore Media Festival, supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority.

The sessions will launch on December 3, with new VidCon Now Asia sessions programmed afterward on a bi-weekly basis.

The VidCon Now Asia launch will be a 3.5-hour virtual event focused on the current state and future of online and community-led media in Asia. It will feature insights from online video platforms as well as creators exploring how they have moved from pitching other products to building their own brands and turning them into big business. It will also focus on the future of influencers, as the worlds first synthetic AI transhuman and her creators share how AI will change media and marketing forever.

VidCon Now Asia bi-weekly programming will be scheduled throughout 2021 across all three of VidCons established tracks Community, Creator, and Industry presenting a mix of workshops helping creators and business build bigger audiences and drive more revenue, fireside chats and panels to help the media and creative industries understand the future of creator-first media, and discussions of the issues facing media and marketing as it transforms from linear to on-demand and always on.

Attendees can view and register for programming at VidCon.com/now. New programming, creators, and speakers will be updated bi-weekly and available online in month-long increments.

Southeast Asia is one of the most innovative places in the world, with a huge pool of creative talent, said Jim Louderback, GM VidCon.We are thrilled to once again be part of the Singapore Media Festival and continue to bring the worlds experts to Singapore while we celebrate and include local businesses, creators, and experts. VidCon Now Asia will help drive the entire media ecosystem forward as creator-first media takes over more and more of media consumption, advertising dollars, and creative and technological innovation globally and in Asia.

VidCon Now will be co-produced by production partners Branded.

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VidCon Now to Debut at the Singapore Media Festival - Branding in Asia Magazine

The pandemic has forced authorities around the world to scramble for solutions within the realm of possibility. One of the more futuristic, radical solutions which is still relegated to the sidelines is transhumanism. It is a branch of philosophy that believes in transcending the limitations of the human population through technological augmentation. From hearing aids, pacemakers, bionic arms, the manifestations of transhumanism are very much present in our lives. However, the radical applications of being able to tweak biology to suit ones interests and needs at a commercial cost is yet to see the light of day. The basic tenet of transhumanism is extension of human life. Yet, eternal life comes across as a utopian thought where inadequate manufacturing of PPE kits for doctors and nurses have us jolted back to the harsh realities of current pandemic dwelling.

Since the globalized nature of modern capitalistic order and the consequent interconnectedness of our lives has made the possibility of frequent pandemics ever so plausible, we find ourselves at the juncture of a major shift towards increasing receptivity to transhumanist solutions. The famous American inventor and futurist Kurzweil wrote in his book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology about a journey towards a meshing point of humans and machine intelligence The Singularity. He envisioned nanobots which allowed people to eat whatever they want while remaining healthy and fit, provide copious energy, ward off infections or cancer, replace organs and augment their brains. There will come a future where human bodies will carry so much augmentation that they would be able to alter their physical manifestation at will.

Even if the coronavirus fades off without wiping humans off the planet, it has given an eerie trailer of what future outbreaks might hold in store. Hence due security measures have to be pondered upon -whether in the labs, where deadly pathogens are being researched upon or in the malicious possibilities of a biowarfare. Frontline workers can be provided tech enhancements to ensure better armament against infectious, mutating viral diseases. Protective exoskeletons, real-time blood monitors for pathogens, can bid riddance to any temporary means of protection which are vulnerable against quality and efficacy issues.

In 2011, surgeons in Sweden had successfully transplanted a fully synthetic, tissue-engineered trachea into a man with late-stage tracheal cancer. The trachea was created entirely in a lab with tissue grown from the patients own stem cells inside a bioreactor designed to protect the organ and promote cell growth. Under transhumanism, artificial organs would be superior to ordinary donor organs in several ways. They can be made to order more quickly than a donor organ can often be found; would be grown from a patients own cells and hence wont require dangerous immunosuppressant drugs to prevent rejection.

As of 2018, prototypes of artificial lungs are also surfacing at the Galveston National Laboratory at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where the team spent the last 15 years developing the prototype. Upon completion, the bioengineered lungs were transplanted into four pigs. There was no indication of transplant rejection when the animals were examined at regular intervals for months after transplant. The researchers also observed that the bioengineered lungs became vascularized, establishing the necessary blood vessel networks to do its job. For diseases like covid-19, which affect a particular body organ, having an option of a bioengineered organ could very well be a safeguard.

But transhumanists are not just trying to extend human lives, they also want to revive them. They aim to merge bioengineering, AI capabilities, 3-D printing to resurrect the dead victims of any catastrophe much like the pandemic on our hands right now. Ways of dealing with grief at the loss of a loved one can possibly be placated with measures like interactive custom-holograms, social media feed powered by AI that could generate new messages based on the pattern of the old ones.

There are strong ethical considerations that also pop up in the discussion of transhumanism. Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, a German philosopher and bioethicist believes that processes like cryonics will go against most ecological principles given the amount of resources needed to keep a body in suspended animation post-death. Even though, transhumanism does not explicitly encourage breeding for the superiority of one specific group, the methods endorsed by some prominent transhumanists aim for physiological superiority. Considering that for the time being, solutions emanating will be heavy on the monetary end in the healthcare set-up, it could breed inequality in access. A huge gap in resources will be experienced in the society, as the affluent section amasses money and influence to set out an eternal timeline for themselves, coming at a lethal cost for the other half of the society.

Solving problems that will plague us in the future is a rising urge shared by leaders, philanthropists and billionaires around the world. This is why proponents like Zoltan Istvan fear the fact that the exponential rise of transhumanist technologies might leave governments fumbling to discuss and bring about policy directions to regulate and guard changes. Important questions like how far is too far? will need phased guidance as we have learnt from the chaotic response to systemic changes being implemented in the medical field during Covid-19. A conversation on transhumanism should not be put off any further and needs to permeate across different strata of stakeholders.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Pandemics and transhumanism - Economic Times

The majority of people might not have heard of Neuralink yet. Its a project that has been staying relatively under that radar for quite some time now.

Yet, its ambitions go above and beyond anything humanity has ever seen. It is an attempt to create something straight out of the cyberpunk books. Something that puts us another step towards transhumanism for better or for worse.

So what exactly is Neuralink? Its an attempt to create a brain-machine interface. An implanted device that connects directly to the neurons of the brain and is able to read its signals and affect its inner workings. It is still in the very early stages of development for now.

While people debate about its security and applications, lets speculate about how Neuralinks release might influence the education field.

The accessibility of data is what defines the current age. People all around the world are interconnected with a web that allows near-instant access to all the information the Web has ever witnessed. Ever since the invention of the first computer, people have tried their best to make it as easy and intuitive to use as possible. And Neurolink is yet another step in that direction.

You are no longer tied to a bulky personal computer. You dont even have to carry a smartphone around. With Neuralink able to directly exchange signals with your brain, there are very few barriers between you and the data feed. Just imagine for a second being able to search the Web for an answer you need with nothing but a mental effort.

The ability to interface with infinite storage of information makes it possible for a virtually all-knowing human to exist. Things that previously took the majority of any students time can become effortless and almost automatic.

Having ones brain directly connected to an online writing service like WriteMyPaper would solve a lot of problems with written assignments, not to mention other fields.

The world is still feeling the aftermath of the global epidemic. But the quarantine that has forced people to keep their distance with each other has also served as a major-scaled test.

It has shown that it is definitely possible to use the current level of technology to keep most of our usual activities going without the need for physical presence. And this distant approach, in some cases, is not only possible but also more efficient.

Education is not an exception. Distant learning has been around for quite a while now. But it has been more of an alternative option to more traditional ways of getting your degree.

The seamlessness of a brain-machine can further encourage people to choose distant learning. It is hard to tell how easy Neuralink will be to use. But it could become one of the major tools that could change the way we study.

One of the first and main goals of the Neuralink technology is to help people with various injuries that may impair their motor functions. This is the application that we are most likely to see in the future once the device starts seeing practical use.

Though clinical trials are yet to begin, the developers of Neuralink promise us a cure to a variety of different conditions, such as:

These debilitating conditions can become curable if this technology is successful in its quest. And that, in turn, means that more education options will be available to more people. People wont have to constrain themselves to specialized classes or institutions due to their conditions.

On the other hand, this device could find wide-spread applications even among people who dont suffer from any health conditions. Being able to regulate the work of your brain could make it much easier to focus, prevent overworking, burnout, and stress. This would help students maximize their productivity.

The concept of Neuralink is truly fascinating. It opens up a ton of interesting possibilities and pushes us out to the future that was previously only possible on the pages of books or in movies. However, it is still way too early to call it an unconditional success. This technology is currently in the very early stages of development. And testing on humans has not even begun.

It will most likely be years before well be able to see a working prototype of a real brain-machine interface. And it may take decades more before it sees mass use. Still, in the face of such a significant breakthrough, its hard not to get excited.

A lot of questions regarding the specifics of Neuralinks workings are still open. But if the device ever sees the light it could forever change the world as we know it.

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What can the release of Neuralink's new chip mean for education? - fingerlakes1.com

Elon Musk by Maurizio Pesce via Wikimedia Commons

What might Elon Musk do to your brain? Hes successfully demonstrated that a deep brain implant can monitor a pigs health like the Fitbit on your wrist. After this success, Musk is coming after you. He plans to install slender electrodes into your brain and connect them to a wireless pod that sits behind your ear. Neuralink chips could measure temperature, pressure and movement, data that could warn you about a heart attack or stroke. This pod or terminal then communicates with your phone. If you want to know what your brain is doing, simply check your phone.

Now, this is puzzling. Mmmmm? Whos checking that phone? Your brain? Or, you? What if you and your brain are the same? Mmmmm? Will checking the phone for brain information provoke the brain to become self-aware? Then what? Will you have two selves: you plus your brain? Oh, this thinking makes my brain tired. Mmmmm? Will my cell phone show that my brain is tired?

What might be the advantages to deep brain implants? First, in the early stages of neuralink development for humans, we can realistically anticipate the medical value of deep brain implants. The potential is truly transformational for restoring brain & motor functions, Musk states. A deep brain implant could function therapeutically to combat dementia, Alzheimers, and even Christian fundamentalism!

The second advantage would be memory enhancement and knowledge expansion. Because the implant is wirelessly connected to an external pod-terminal, information could be sent to the brain and downloaded. A deep brain implant for an ELCA seminarian could electronically place in the students memory every word of the Book of Concord.

A third possibility is the hope of the Transhumanists among us, namely, Intelligence Amplification or IA. Dont confuse IA with AI, Artificial Intelligence. IA enhances your intelligence; it does not create a second or artificial intelligence. With IA, our ELCA seminarians could take all their courses online and graduate in only two years. Oh, wait?

A fourth possibility would be electronic psi. Each of two persons with brain implants could communicate their thoughts wirelessly to the terminal, which in turn would send those thoughts to the other. No need for speech or writing. Thought to thought. Mind to mind. Disagreements and arguments without yelling or screaming.

A fifth possibility adds on to the fourth. Why wait for a thought to be sent to you? Why not think your way to the terminal and then read the mind of the other? The electronic pod terminal could eliminate mental privacy.

Before this neuralink science came along, there was science fiction. I explored these plus additional implications of deep brain implants in my fictional espionage thriller, Cyrus Twelve. My heroine is Leona Foxx, a Lutheran pastor, riveting preacher, astrobiologist, crack shot, Chicago Cubs fan, and part-time CIA operative. This is fiction, remember.

In Cyrus Twelve Leona uncovers a globe-wide syndicate of Transhumanists who use the equivalent of neuralink to enhance spying capability. In this drama, the pod-terminal is a satellite and it connects hundreds of persons with deep brain implants. The satellite is capable of erasing an individuals memory and substituting an entirely fabricated memory. Because the implant is within you, you cannot muster any defense from informational input sent you by the satellite. You cannot shut off fake news, advertising, or orders to kill. Imagine what would happen if ELCA Churchwide would get control of that satellite? Every spy in the world would suddenly learn what justification-by-faith means.

The advancement of deep brain electronic implants prompts the theologian to ponder two matters, one theoretical and one practical. The theoretical matter is this: can the human soul or self be reduced to the brain? My answer is no. The human self or person is utterly dependent on the physical brain, to be sure; but the self or person is more than everything physical or bodily. What we experience as human freedom I define this way: freedom is a form of self-determination. In short, I do not expect discoveries in the neurosciences to reduce the person to the brain.

The practical matter is an ethical matter. How should such awesome technology be used? Should deep brain implants become the stock and trade of international espionage, as is the case in Cyrus Twelve? No, of course not. Our society should rather support ongoing medical research leading to therapies and even enhancements. Like all technological advances, neuralink should be pressed into the service of human flowering.

Ted Peters is a pastor in the ELCA and Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, California. He co-edits the journal, Theology and Science for the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences at the Graduate Theological Union. He is author of God The Worlds Future (Fortress, 3rd ed., 2015) and editor of AI and IA: Utopia or Extinction? (ATF Press, 2019). More of Peters work can be found on his website, TedsTimelyTake.com.

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Scientific Psi? Neuralink and the smarter brain - Covalence

John Lennox is human. As soon as the worlds most recognisable Oxford Professor of Mathematics smiles at me from his UK study via video link, he is apologising for his need to duck off to the bathroom. His immediate physical need arises from not being able to go beforehand, having just finished a one-hour online Q & A session about his newest book, 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity. Not to be confused with the other book Lennox already put out in 2020 Where is God in a Coronavirus World? or the movie about him to be released later this year.

Tinkering with human beings those ideas interested me. John Lennox

Lennoxs toilet break is an unexpectedly fitting introduction to our conversation about his investigation of artificial intelligence (AI) and what it means for what it means to be human. Riffing on the title of English author George Orwells dystopic novel 1984, 2084 is Lennoxs eloquent and succinct attempt to demystify AI, separate science fiction from science fact, and investigate the ethical and theological questions raised.

But lets cut to the chase of your future-looking book, human. John Lennox, what will the year 2084 be like for people and their intelligent designs? I thought somebody would start with that question, but youre the first interviewer to do it, chuckles Lennox who has been a leading academic Christian in the public square for more than a decade.

Rising to international prominence through viral video debates with new atheist royalty such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and Peter Singer, Lennox also has written many books at the intersection between Christian faith and the philosophy of scientific endeavour and progress.

The whole point is to take off from Orwells book 1984, which gave the English language things like big brother and thoughtcrime. There are aspects of artificial intelligence now that actually are fulfilling the role [from] Orwells 1984.

I wasnt writing the book to tell people whats going to happen in 2084 [but] to tell them to think about what might happen in 2084 or whats liable to happen, because of the developments we already have.

Lennox came to see the need to evaluate the course of artificial intelligence after a London church approached him, several years ago, to speak about how the Book of Genesis relates with AI. Lennox initially declined but was soon intrigued by considering what humanity being made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) means to the rising tide of artificial intelligence. Since his teenage years in homeland Northern Ireland, Lennox has been interested in big questions such as where does meaning come from and what is the significance of humans in a universe created by God?

My interest was [also] sparked a long time ago by two C.S. Lewis books The Abolition of Man, and the third of his science-fiction book series, That Hideous Strength. Lewis was prescient; he had ideas of, basically, what we now call transhumanism. Those interested me the ideas of tinkering with the germ line, as we would now call it, and tinkering with human beings and producing not humans, but artefacts.

That intrigued me as to where this stuff was going.

At the start of 2084, Lennox admits hes not an AI expert. As an interested and analytical onlooker, he distills where AI is at and might be going, including explaining its two key forms Narrow Artificial Intelligence and Artificial General Intelligence. The former refers to any computer system which can do one thing superbly well that normally takes human intelligence to do; the latter is the transhuman quest for superintelligence, either by enhancing human beings or by creating a humanoid form where, for example, the contents of a human mind could be uploaded. Or much, much more.

Lennox shares what he perceives as positive developments in AI, from a smartwatch that can recognise seizures to online language translators, and algorithms which digitally assist with our daily tasks or needs. He also articulates negatives, flowing mainly from the ethical issues arising from AI. Lennox wonders how often you or I have stopped to realise we carry a portable tracking device with us our smartphone and where our personal data ends up (surveillance capitalism, as Harvard Professor Shoshana Zuboff describes it). What about the human job losses caused by improved artificial intelligence? Or the choice a self-driving car might have to make between crashing into an elderly lady crossing the road or avoiding her but hitting children on the footpath?

People are afraid to say what they really believe about morality. John Lennox

Lennox agrees there is a common view that technological developments always equal positive progress for humanity even though we experience the opposite (such as how advanced warfare or internet access can display the worst in us). Much of his book, 2084, is dedicated to highlighting how artificial intelligence itself is an amoral creation by humans, with moral issues inevitably arising from the real human input into them.

Artificial intelligence is not intelligent at all. It simulates intelligence the word artificial means that the output normally requires human intelligence but in this system, the only intelligence involved which is vastly important is the intelligence of the designers and programmers.

Technological progress is not the same as moral progress; the difficulty is that technology outpaces ethics, says Lennox. So theres an ethical void, which has been dramatically increased by the lack of a common worldview which, for centuries, was Christian in the West, but now were all over the place. And people are afraid to say what they really believe about morality. Thats an absolute tragedy, which is one of the reasons that I like talking about Genesis.

Convinced of the ongoing relevance of the image of God to defining human value and meaning, Lennox also wanted to talk about several popular books anchored in aspects of AI. So much so that Lennox uses bestselling author Dan Browns Origin, as well as Israeli historian Yuval Noah Hararis acclaimed Sapiens and Homo Deus, as structural devices for 2084s points.

Lennox doesnt flinch at being asked if weighing in on an AI novel by controversial and wildly successful writer of The Da Vinci Code was a cheap shot Im interested in what influences millions of people, he explains.

Lennox adds that Hararis input was vital to being able to engage seriously with Browns novel about an AI visionary seeking to scientifically reveal where we came from and where we are going. Hararis books take a more robust, history-based approach to those key questions; History began when humans invented gods and will end when humans become gods, declares Harari.

A superintelligent human already exists. John Lennox

Notably, Homo Deuss advocacy of transhumanism and seeking immortality stirred Lennox at his Christian core. While Lennox doesnt believe Hararis ambition for humans to be able to create actual humans can be achieved Until we know what consciousness is, all talk of that type is pure hype and pure science fiction. We dont know what it is. We havent an idea he was pleasantly surprised to discover how inspired he was by some of what transhumanists seek.

The thing that really turned the corner for me, thinking the book was worth writing, was a sudden and immediate thought that the transhumanist program is too late and its too little because a superintelligent human already exists, says Lennox, alluding to divine man Jesus.

The whole movement of transhumanism assumes were progressing towards [becoming like a god] when actually the movement we ought to be thinking about is the opposite of God becoming man, and providing a basis for a way we could answer Hararis number one problem. The problem of physical death to which the answer is resurrection, not constructing an artificial intelligence

Seeing that there was so much in the transhumanist agenda that really was shadows of the Christian message, I thought Aha, heres a way that I can put Christianity in, perhaps, a rather different way and bring inthings that people normally dont ever do writing a book [about AI].

More here:
Hi John. Will artificial intelligence replace humanity by 2084? - Eternity News

In a recent podcast, John Lennox: False Assumptions in the hype over AI, Oxford mathematician John Lennox, author of 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity (2020) discussed common mistaken assumptions with Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks.

One of them seems to be that AI might prove there is no God, replace God, or become God. Things get interesting when these science fictions meet the world of fact.

From the transcript:

Robert J. Marks: In your book, you discussed Dan Browns novel entitled Origin. Now Dan Brown is famous for writing many, I dont know, kind of strange books. One was the Da Vinci Code, but his recent one deals with artificial intelligence and you discuss his novel as the springboard for your discussion about AI in the future. What did you find appealing or compelling about Browns novel that you commented on it so much?

John Lennox: Well, it was the actual story line. The main character in Origin is a billionaire computer scientist and AI expert whos called Edmond Kirsch, and he claims to have solved the fundamental big questions that everybody asks at some time, Where do we come from and where are we going? And he uses AI in the novel to answer these questions. But his intention is philosophical, and thats what caught my attention. In fact, somebody told me that this was in the book and thats why I read it.

His goal was to, I quote, employ the truth of science to destroy the myth of religions, in particular Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and he actually concentrates on Christianity. And so here is someone using AI to answer these big questions in such a way as to completely destroy, in his view, religions answers and hes using AI to do it. And the kind of AI involved is, of course, the more science fiction type. Its the advanced technological modification of human beings into transhuman beings or into super intelligences. And I was very interested in the kind of philosophy thats coming through. And that was one of my motives for writing this book.

Robert J. Marks: I see. Dan Brown has some presuppositions, doesnt he?

John Lennox: Oh, of course he has presuppositions. And its hard to really disentangle his own presuppositions from those of his main characters, except for the very interesting fact that the hero of many of his books is a professor of symbology, whatever that means, called Robert Langdon. And hes an expert at recognizing all sorts of mysterious and rare and hidden patterns in things.

But one of the astonishing things about the book was when Langdon is asked the question about the origin of the genetic code, which figures very largely in the book and theres great interest in developing exactly what this involves. And Landon says something like this, and it raises the questions of God. He says, The question of God, for me, lies in understanding the difference between codes and patterns. Patterns occur everywhere in nature, the spiraling seeds of a sunflower, the hexagonal cells of a honeycomb and so on. Codes are special. Codes by definition must carry information. Codes must transmit data and convey meaning.

And he ends up by saying, Codes are the deliberate inventions of intelligent consciousness. They dont appear organically, they must be created.

And one of the other female heroes in the book says, You think DNA was created by an intelligence?

And he just goes as far as saying, I feel as if Im seeing a living footprint, the shadow of some greater force that is just beyond our grasp.

And I thought, This is utterly fascinating. In a book by someone whos trying to bring down religion by the use of AI, what hes doing is actually heightening evidence for the existence of God by postulating an intelligent designer for DNA. So its a very complex thing.

Robert J. Marks: Very interesting. So Dan Brown, who is obviously agnostic, or certainly not religious in any sense, came to the logical conclusion that I think many theists or deists do, that there must be a creator behind some of these things. At least he was intellectually honest at the end.

Note: The full transcript is available as a download at the podcast page. Show Notes and Resources may be found below.

In an earlier podcast, Lennox and Marx discussed 2084 vs 1984the difference AI could make to Big Brother There, Lennox made the point that we need to seriously think about whether the surveillance AI technology enables is an advantage before were engulfed by it.

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John Lennox: How AI raises the stakes for all of us. AI could cause more serious problems than nuclear energy. You cannot build a bomb in your bedroom but you could hack your way around the world.

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Exclusive!: John Lennox answers our questions about AI in 2084. In his new book, 2084, the Oxford mathematician doubts that AI, now or then, will out-think humans. Our real worry is how the tech will be used.

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In Dan Brown's AI Hype Novel, the Hero Stumbles Onto God - Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

I will be expanding on this, but this point from a regular astute commenter is exactly one that I have touched upon here:

Heaven & Hell Stop You From Genuinely Morally Evaluating

But if you cant be bothered to read that, read(((J_Enigma32)))s recent comment:

Oh, theres a bunch of problems with heaven, but all of it anchors around the reward based-system that religion depends on. Youre never virtuous for your own sake; youre always acting according to your own idea of virtue because you know if you dont, you wont get into heaven. Therefore, one could argue that by your own standards, you arent a virtuous person if you believe in heaven and are motivated by heaven as a potential reward. And thats before we get into the issue of heaven dividing families and the suffering that will inevitably cause. Its what happens when your reward system is individually based rather than focused on something like a society as a whole.The very existence of heaven implies that morality is unimportant; if morality were important and satisfying, then that would be the end goal itself and morality and virtue would be seen as an atelic activity rather than a telic one.

Its a problem that results from all teleological narratives, actually, where they be religious ideas of realitys nature or the historical narratives of the orthodoxy, pushing their particular brand of nationalism, or some libertarian transhumanists, who think were moving closer to something they call a singularity by virtue of their historical narrative of the endless self-improving nature of technology. All of those are wrong, just like heaven is wrong, but theyre all wrong in an understandably human way, and one that fails to account for the hedonic treadmill, which is vital to a discussion like this.

To which marblesanswered:

This was a joy to read, thanks.

one could argue that by your own standards, you arent a virtuous person if you believe in heaven and are motivated by heaven as a potential reward

I actually asked my youth pastor about this when I was around 11 or 12. She laughed and told me not to overthink it, just be a good person for whatever reason I want to.

Addendum: as I see it, if youre only practicing virtue in the hopes of a reward, your true nature shows itself sooner or later. You can always rationalize why youre totally going to Heaven no matter how repulsive a human being you are.

So, can you ever be truly moral, truly alturistic? Its the classic question that I remember debating at school (even then, I surmised that you couldnt). Either way, its even harder with the twin ultimate conceptual blackmails of heaven and hell hanging over you.

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Quote of the Day on the Morality of Those Seeking Heaven - Patheos