Robotics, androids, AI, are now all intertwined within a singular concept, bordering on the Kurzweil Singularity and the exponential rise in technological power. The quantum robotic revolution is already upon us, and as a nation, the Japanese, headed by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, of Osaka University, are at the forefront of these technological advancements especially with an ageing population and a youth who are not breeding with enough gusto to make up the numbers.
Who will cook for us when we are too old, who will clean our homes, and get our groceries? Of course, in the near future, it will be our robot help, an the aged will thank these robots, they will cherish them and be companions with them.
The flip side to this robotic coin is the fear mongering from films like the Terminator and other dystopian depictions of the future, however we must as humans embrace robotics, and AI if we are to move to the next evolutionary level. To not do so will condemn humanity to a stasis and negative divergence backwards, where the technical is relegated and our great leap forward voided.
The Japanese Zen masters know all too well that there is an atomic vibratory force, and soul-like energy in all objects, whether in stone, metal or fluid water. In this respect, humans of the future will eventually integrate with machines through cranial interfaces, and increase their brain power by millions of percent. To not do so would leave the AI viewing regular humans as nothing but insects intellectually.
Robots of the future will design other robots, they will do so more efficiently than humans, and they will be able to facilitate their own language, style and mannerisms. Replication, could be seen by some humans as dangerous, however the ultimate aim will be evolution, and this evolution will be controlled somewhat by overseers, who will be able to control the overall direction of the evolutionary process.
Nanotechnology is already at a relatively advanced stage, however the future human, or transformational being 2.0 will utilise all elements of technology to enhance their intelligence, physical strength and to streamline their design. Do we as humans need to breathe, or eat food, when the nanobots will deliver oxygen to our systems, as well as nutrients for survival? Much of our physicality as humans is now outdated, simply because evolution is a lagging process, and we are still utilising the same evolutionary standard of humans 20-30,000 years ago. Therefore, to make the vast leap forward to the era of space travel, we will need to enhance our brains by joining with the microprocessor which will enable humanity to find the solutions regular humans could not find.
The internet of today is still at an infantile stage, and is bogged down by humanity’s foibles, its limitations and of course its vast destructive sense. The future internet will be a calmer more focussed space, and the increase in computing power will enable humanity to transmit emotion as well as all other states of consciousness. Will you lose yourself, your sense of being? Many people do not even know themselves now as regular humans, but the ability to shape character will obviously be a bonus, for there are many traits that are not necessary and are detrimental to humanity. Behavioural alteration could render former criminals, as good decent citizens, thus stopping crime from all levels of society. This is mostly a utopian ideal, however we must always factor in the people who will utilise technology for their own gain, whether in hacking tech to subvert, or to live outside the hive mind, which will protect citizens.
The world will have to go through many changes before the enlightened transhumanists relinquish power from the old guard. War, famine, disease, and the constructive destruction of outdated systems will need to be experienced, so that the scientific society overrules the old crumbling defunct order that has caused humanity so much pain and terror in the past.
