I am
very pleased to turn my blog over to the talented UK artist and
cartoonist, Captain Kirt. We both share an affinity for Star Trek and Doctor
Who. If you enjoy a good laugh (and who doesn’t) I encourage you to check
out his webcomic series, “Rollo” and “Evil Takes a Day Off” at www.kirt.me.uk.
Now, I present to you, “The Future of Mankind.”
When Susan asked me to guest blog for her I was honoured. Then I was puzzled as to what to write, after all this is a big responsibility. This was the first thing that came to mind so I thought I'd run with it. If you don’t know me I’m Kirt, a blogger and cartoonist from the UK. I blog about me, my family and the stuff that enters my head (so nothing in particular). If you fancy checking my stuff out I also create a couple of webcomics (which is a fairly recent venture for me) as well as my blogging then pop over to my website – www.kirt.me.uk.
When I'm out cycling on my own a lot of
things buzz around my head, I have a lot of questions in there which I know
can't be answered. I have for a long while had an interest in Artificial
Intelligence. As technology stretches into the realms of science fiction we
have to consider if some of the things depicted are soon to be within our
grasp. After all my phone now speaks to me and I am able to have a rudimentary conversation
with it, I know it's a simulation - for now.
Some interesting questions arise from the
whole subject. The main one is the artificial intelligences that are created by
man actually conscious or merely a simulation of it? If it is true life is it
the future of our evolution as we create lifeforms impervious to disease and
the frailties of our species? Will our organic life be left behind to wither
and die out?
Ok, what about from another angle? So, what
if a bi-product of creating artificial life is the ability to upload our brains
to an artificial brain or into a virtual construct? Will that be our future? If it does become
possible to transfer our thoughts will it be true transference or just a simulated
copy? There is a service I've heard of which takes a dead person's emails and
social media posts to give grieving relatives a simulated chat bot of the
recently departed (it's a bit sick in my opinion), that is just a tool to
torment the bereaved but what if someone offered to upload a terminally ill
relative's mind to a digital service where they could 'live on'? Would that be
life or a simulation? When is the line crossed? There is of course the Turing
test but surely an artificial simulation of life could be programmed to pass
such a test?
So, if the human race survives the President
Trumps and PM Theresa Mays of this world then will we be living with simulated
life or actual life in the future? If we can prove that artificial life is true
life then what about their rights? Will be having a new race of beings that
will have to fight for their rights within society? After all human history is
littered with so much oppression and injustice towards other groups. Is SkyNet
a potential reality? Would we be able to co-exist with our cybernetic and/or
digital creations?
Lots of questions, not many answers because
the answers aren't available yet. I'm no scientist, just an interested observer
and I look on with interest, no doubt most of these questions probably won't be
answered within my lifetime but with the speed of change in technology I'm
guessing that this child of the seventies has still loads to see yet…
Very nice but we are toast in about 50 years. sorry.
ReplyDeleteMan, Patrick! I don't think I will be around for the cataclysm. Thanks for commenting & reading!
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