Do you think that thanks to technology we could live forever? (Like Bryan Johnson 😅)
Business Marketing with Nika
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Hypothetically, this is already possible with the technology we have.
One of those is "Digital Legacy" – e. g. social media profiles.
But I am thinking more about Mind-uploading
+ When it comes to the physical state of our body, do we have a chance to be there significantly longer? Thanks to biotechnology, genetic engineering and neurotech?
[This discussion was inspired by Bryan Johnson's video where he looks like 20 in his late 40s] 😀
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Sacha Dumay@sacha_dumay
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I believe with the exponential improvement of AI, we will see significant improvements to our life expectancy.
AI improvement is insane. Now I only code 5% and just talk to Cursor 95% of the time to code for me.
So I'm convinced it will help scientists solve so many things.
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@sacha_dumay do you really work less? I mean You maybe work the same amount of time 6 or 8 hrs as you used to but you work faster (in other words, you do more, because you are used to work constantly on something).
Yep Nika.
I saw this idea play out in real life and on TV. The show "Silicon Valley" featured it. A real company tried it too.
"Silicon Valley" had this wild plot about a rich tech guy using a "blood boy" for youth. It was in season 4. The show mocked how far some tech folks go to stay young and powerful.
In the real world, a startup called Ambrosia actually did this. They charged $8,000 for young people's blood, claiming it made you younger. No science backed it up.
The FDA shut it down in 2019, saying it was risky. The founder tried again with a new company, but people are still doubtful.
TV exaggerated it, but the real story's pretty close. Both show how some tech people chase weird ideas to stay on top.
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there are many ethical and moral questions emerging. And also with increasing number of lasting existences, is there enough space for us? (provided that there will not be a huge exploration in colonisation of other planets and places to exist) @byalexai @konrad_sx
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@byalexai @busmark_w_nika Sure there are great ethical problems. Regarding the overpopulation problem, a simple theoretical solution would be that people who want to live on should not have kids until there's enough progress with space colonization.
If that's ever possible to prolong life with engineering, this privilege will be exclusive to a handful of well-off people given the cost of the technology.
Plus, unfortunately, people don't only die from natural reasons...
Not the happiest statement for a Monday morning I know :D
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@natalia_toth why do you think so? New technologies make it very fast today from availability for a few people to availability for "all", see e.g. smartphones and new drugs. And there's no reason that not all illnesses can be cured soon. Of course, you could still die in a car crash or so, but we're making great progress there also.
@konrad_sx First, I would not compare the development of engineering with the development of biology and medicine. Whatever has to do with viruses, or bacteria, or any form of life, is way way harder to tackle because of how unpredictable it is. Mastering the laws of physics is much easier than mastering how living organisms behave and evolve.
Second, I don't see smartphones and new drugs being available to all in 2024. Not at all. I recently came back from Africa, and people there don't even have access to clean tap water and stable electricity, let alone iPhones and vaccines.
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@natalia_toth You're sure right that it will be a long way. And that there are more essential problems that need to be solved in poor countries first. Some people are much too optimistic. But the technological and scientific progress is accelerating, that's sure. Including in biology and medicine. And AI is helping. See e.g. the books and articles by Kuzweil (see my other comments here).
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Let's first replace the word "forever" - as humans, we cannot even comprehend it I think. And it's probably physically impossible (heat death of the universe ...).
But if we talk about some hundreds or even thousands of years, this sure could be possible soon (a few decades from now). As far as we know today, there's no law of nature that would in principle limit the lifespan of a conscious being. It's just our evolved genetics that make us die so early, it's better for the "egoistic genes".
Nanotechnology and nanomedicine are evolving fast, and I think it's just a matter of time that all age-related illnesses can be cured, and the ageing-related processes be stopped or even reverted.
See e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fa.... Much has changed since 2004, but that book explains the ideas very well. I guess Kurzweil still thinks he may make it (he's 76 now).
As to mind uploading, we currently have NO indication that this might work (even though many intelligent people say otherwise). I don't believe in it. In any case, we would have to solve the mind-body problem first (relation of consciousness with the physical world), and maybe we never will.
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@konrad_sx Thanks Konrad, it is always pleasure to chat with you on these topics! :) I mean that the main shift happened since industrial revolution – we were able to extend our life in average 30 yrs more. But I would say it will take more time us to increase longevity significantly. Because every shift (progress) brings on the table many problems (sometimes even more problems that good things). We should predict bad things first to overcome them and come up with improvements.
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@busmark_w_nika I also think that the problems before us are bigger than the problems behind us regarding this, but don't forget, scientific and technological progress is accelerating ~exponentially.
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@konrad_sx yes, but anyway, progress is not done equally among areas. I think that biological progress will take less than colonisation of galactic space.
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While technology has made great strides, living forever in the traditional sense is still far-fetched. Digital legacies are just that - remnants, not true immortality. Mind - uploading is highly theoretical and has many ethical and practical hurdles. Biotech, genetic engineering, and neurotech may extend lifespan, but there are limits. Our bodies are complex systems, and there are still many diseases and aging processes we don't fully understand. It's an exciting concept, but currently more in the realm of science fiction.
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@ldj_beatless Was this created with the significant help of ChatGPT? :D
@busmark_w_nika there is the Longevity Escape Velocity movement that is trying to achieve exactly this: extend human life with an higher velocity than what nature "consume" our years of life (for ex: extending human life 20 years for every 10 years that an human live)
Aubrey de Grey, the founder of this movement, stated years ago that the first person who will leave more than 1 thousand years has already born!
It seems crazy but if you listen to the reasons why he states this, it make sense.
The Longevity Escape Velocity movement is tackling everything from a very scientific and logical point of view - i really like when things are approached scientifically (much more than not-scientifically backed theory).
There are also many TED talk of Aubrey de Grey where it explain everything in a very clear manner, just to name one:
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@achille_cavinato It is so fascinating how many new questions come with this topic.
E.g.: At first, longevity will be pricy. But as it becomes more frequent, will be cheaper (and death will become more rare/precious and pricy? I am trying to also have a look at the opposite of the situation.)
Because let's take, that our value of time is determined by our death. The closer we are to death (and more aware we are of it) – the more precious our life is for us. When we reverse the scenario – what will be the price not of our life, but of our death?
How will we perceive and value our time? Time spent by living? Time spent with our relatives? Time spent on our work?
Another discussion is, that this type of living ("eternity") makes sense for a higher form of intelligence. Let's take it: When people have free time and are not motivated to work or do not have the incentive to work, they are either creative (better scenario) or they start doing dumb things. If such people were given "eternity", it would be wasted existence.
But love the topic. It makes me realize many things and think on many levels. :-)
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@achille_cavinato @busmark_w_nika Yes, our relation to life and death may change very much with a greatly extended lifespan. I agree that it's a very important and difficult question. I guess we'll have to experience it ourselves to find out for sure.
And sure it will be very different for different people. Regarding "wasted existence", we should always also see it from the perspective of the people in question. If they want to live on, it won't be wasted existence just because we think they're doing dumb things. But you're right that the question will become inevitable if living on "makes sense" at all, "higher form of intelligence" or not.
BTW, we would have all those issues with life after death also.
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@achille_cavinato @konrad_sx what do you think there is after life?
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@achille_cavinato @busmark_w_nika I don't assume anything I don't know. And I'm sure we have no way to find this out, at least currently.
Living forever might still be a stretch, but extending life significantly? Absolutely! With advancements in biotech, genetic engineering, and neurotech, we’re already hacking aging. Mind-uploading could be the next big leap, making ‘digital immortality’ more than just sci-fi. Imagine a future where age is just a number—or even an obsolete concept. 🤖🔬
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There is a show. In black mirror about this. I can't remember which one. So you will have to watch all seasons to find out. 🍿
I hope so
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Technology might extend life significantly, but living forever seems improbable. Ethical, biological, and societal challenges still remain.
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@annaho2000 I suppose that many people start solving those problems after the "masterpiece" will be already done.
let's see first is he lives forever!
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@merchpixel what do you mean now?
Hah, the tech elite's quest for immortality never gets old (pun intended). I remember that Silicon Valley episode too - hilarious but uncomfortable because it hit close to home. Seems some people will try anything to avoid aging, ethics and science be damned. But at the end of the day, no amount of money or weird treatments can make us live forever. Better to focus our tech efforts on improving quality of life while we're here rather than chasing pipe dreams of eternal youth. Just my two cents!
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@emilyrosejohnson Why do you think ethics and science speak against it ??
There is no scientific reason against it as far as we currently know (there's no physical law that says "advanced conscious being must die after 120 years" or so).
And once we can cure all diseases and stop ageing, wouldn't it be cruel to refuse that to someone?
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@emilyrosejohnson the thing that bothers me is – who will be doing those decisions who can live forever or not? Because as it is usual for this world, some people are more privileged more than others. And what will happen with "natural" way of having kids?