We have been reporting on transhumanism, the idea that the human species will be merged with artificial intelligence to create homo sapiens 2.0, and then the replacement of human biology by cyborgs. That seems far-fetched, but one needs only reflect upon what the Dr Frankensteins have done over the last 50 years or so with biotechnology, to take this all very seriously.
So, for example, here is an Australian example. The Office of National Intelligence has given an Australian research team $ 600, 000 to research into how human brain cells could be merged with artificial intelligence, to integrate the fields of artificial intelligence and synthetic biology to create “programmable biological computing platforms.” The idea is to achieve a synthetic biological intelligence, so far only featured in science fiction, to surpass silicon-based hardware. The human brain excels at lifetime learning, an evolutionary development, while AI is not so good at this, so the merger will apparently transcend present limits. “The outcomes of such research would have significant implications across multiple fields such as – but not limited to – planning, robotics, advanced automation, brain-machine interfaces, and drug discovery, giving Australia a significant strategic advantage.” So, they say.