The age of machines are advancing exponentially, and there’s a great possibility that humanity may be left behind. Artificial intelligence have been beating us at different games like poker and Go. It supports doctors by identifying diseases. It helps run grocery stores, and driving our cars. Now it’s even capable of creating other AI! It will only be a matter of time when computers may surpass us in every skill we have.
Source: Inverse
Because of this, Elon Musk thought of something unconventional that could solve this problem–the neural lace.
The neural lace is a device that is intended to grow with your brain. It was created for the primary purpose of optimizing mental output through a brain-computer, which allows the human brain to access the internet effortlessly and will therefore be able to keep up with artificially intelligent systems. According to Musk, the neural lace will be able to push our cognitive performance to levels that can be compared to AI.
Source: Futurism
Musk isn’t the only one who are working for this cause. Bryan Johnson, the founder of Braintree is investing $100 million to create a neuroprosthesis to unlock the power of the human brain and to be able to make our neural code programmable.
Source: Streetwise
According to Johnson in an article at Techcrunch, “Our connection with our new creations of intelligence is limited by screens, keyboards, gestural interfaces, and voice commands — constrained input/output modalities. We have very little access to our own brains, limiting our ability to co-evolve with silicon-based machines in powerful ways.”
However, Johnson’s company, Kernel wants to go further than just let humans interface with machines. The neuroprosthesis was created also to repair human’s cognitive abilities. This will allow it to combat neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s, and numerous other conditions that destroy the human brain.
These advancements will allow us to literally be able to program our neural code. Who know how these new technologies would transform the way we think, act and perform. Could this mean we could “program” ourselves into the people we want to be?
It definitely sounds like something from a science fiction book, but it is backed up by hard science. These devices that are currently under development is based on 15 years of academic research and was funded by the NIH and DARPA.
So, are you ready for human superintelligence?
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