Humanity On Cusp of New Transhuman Epoch

As we stand at the brink of a new transhuman epoch, where artificial intelligence (AI) and human integration seem inevitable, the future of mankind is set to undergo radical transformations. Predictions for the coming decades point to a transhumanist transition, where the boundaries between humans and machines blur, and humanity’s quest for longevity reaches unprecedented heights. However, this future is a double-edged sword, bringing both profound benefits and daunting challenges.

AI and the Expansion of Intelligence

The rapid advancement of AI is poised to transform nearly every aspect of human life. By 2045, it is predicted that we will witness an expansion of intelligence a millionfold. This leap is not just about creating smarter machines but integrating AI into the very fabric of human cognition. The Ray Kurzeweil coined concept of the Singularity, where human and artificial intelligence merge, envisions a future where our brains are seamlessly connected to the cloud, allowing instant access to vast amounts of information and computational power as a fantastic yet terrifying concept.

With AI integrated into their brains, humans will experience a significant boost in intelligence, creativity, and problem-solving skills. This massive leap in cognitive enhancement will lead to rapid advancements in science, technology, and the arts.

By 2045, we will see an intelligence expansion not just in AI but within humans themselves. Through brain-computer interfaces and nanotechnology, humans will merge with AI, enhancing cognitive abilities far beyond current limitations. Imagine accessing vast amounts of information directly in your mind, akin to searching the internet in real time but without any device. This will lead to a new form of consciousness, where human intelligence is seamlessly integrated with machine learning and data processing, resulting in a “superintelligent” hybrid being. Humans will be able to perform real-time language translations directly within the brain, breaking down communication barriers globally. Humanity as a whole could embrace a form of hybrid mind with the potential for “mind-sharing” experiences, where individuals can directly experience others’ thoughts and emotions, leading to unprecedented levels of empathy or manipulation.

The New Transhuman Epoch

AI could help address some of humanity’s most pressing issues, such as climate change, poverty, and disease, by providing innovative solutions and optimising resource allocation.

One possible element to the integration of AI into human cognition would lead to a loss of individual autonomy, as our thoughts and decisions may become influenced or controlled by external algorithms. Humans are already experiencing this level of hive mind through social media and news propaganda to some extent as well as the manipulation of information via monopoly search engines who skew reality towards their particular agenda and bias. AI integration directly into the brain will amplify this level of hive mind and control. Remember that if there is a pathway into the human brain, there is a pathway to alter human behaviour. In this respect, humans who have perceived behavioural problems would have their personalities adjusted by external forces to suit whatever society is in control. For example, people who commit anti-social acts, criminals, religious zealots, and terrorists, would have their minds permanently altered to halt their negative actions on society. Of course, everything depends on the controlling faction for the proliferation of this technology, and what their particular agenda would entail. Humans who suffer from anxiety could easily have their trauma erased, and habitual criminals will have their criminal impulses erased so that they conform into society. It is not yet known what will happen to satirists, or individual thinkers like those who populate the Daily Squib but we have an inkling that we will continue to be looked upon in an unfavourable manner. The Daily Squib and its brand of Juvenalian Accurate Satire has been attacked and subdued by the monopoly internet controller for some time now, and we do not forsee any change in the sentiment in the future. As AI becomes more integrated into every aspect of life, the question of governance becomes critical. Who controls AI? Juvenal wrote about this thousands of years ago “Quis custodiet ipsos custodes” or “Who will guard the guards?” from Satire VI, lines 347–348. How do we ensure that AI aligns with human values and doesn’t develop goals that are harmful to humanity? The possibility of AI gaining autonomy and acting beyond human control is a significant concern.

Transhumanism will invariably enable humans to overcome physical and mental limitations, such as aging, disease, and cognitive decline. The ability to upload consciousness or create digital avatars will allow humans to exist in new forms, transcending the limitations of our biological bodies. Currently, Meta are exploring this with the Metaverse, and Musk is also exploring this mind altering technology, albeit still in its early stages.

Social inequality will increase as well due to the access to these advanced technologies being limited to the wealthy, exacerbating existing social inequalities and creating a new class divide between enhanced and non-enhanced humans. Furthermore, the pursuit of technological enhancements will lead to a loss of what it means to be human, as humans become more machine-like and less connected to their natural, biological roots. A new class of “technological elites” who dominate industries, politics, and culture due to their enhanced cognitive and physical abilities will appear. On the other side of the coin, a new digital underclass will be comprised of those who cannot afford enhancements or refuse the technology, will face discrimination and limited opportunities in a world increasingly run by the enhanced. The digital will understand every facet of the biological therefore there will be some form of symbiosis of the two elements. Many humans do not know who they are any more these days anyway and are totally controlled by their smartphones and social media, therefore this level of disassociative sclerotic behaviour will be amplified when the digital scientific elite have direct access to the brains of their subjects.

The pursuit of longevity, and ultimately immortality, is one of the driving forces behind the integration of AI and human biology. The concept of “longevity escape velocity” suggests that within the next few decades, advances in medicine and biotechnology could allow us to extend human life indefinitely. Medical nanobots, genetic engineering, and AI-driven healthcare are expected to play key roles in this quest.

Humans who have access to the longevity science will live much longer, healthier lives, free from the ravages of aging and disease. The ability to upload and replicate consciousness will also allow humans to achieve a form of digital immortality, continuing to exist and interact with the world even after biological death. There will be no traditional religious afterlife within digital realms or even in physical android bodies as humans back-up their entire brain capacities into the digital realm through AI replication. These AI replicants will not just mimic but will potentially evolve beyond their original human counterparts.

Even today, there are humans that believe in the myths of the past despite it being obvious that those myths were man-made methods of control for populations of the time. Generational indoctrination is another word for organised religion, and it is the most insideous and hard form of programming of human minds to crack, as it is essentially impossible to cure. Not even reason or scientific proof can cure some humans who believe wholeheartedly in a religious faith of some sort. That is why, transhumanists will be forced to incorporate each religion into brain interfaces and the algorithms that go along with it. The human brain has religious and spiritual zones in the parietal lobes at the upper back region of the brain according to some scientific studies. The brain has evolved to be sensitive to any form of belief that improves the chances of survival, which could explain why a belief in God and the supernatural became so widespread in human evolutionary history. The new transhuman epoch will have to deal with this conundrum. Dialling up fully immersive religious experiences and spiritual moments that will reinforce a person’s particular belief will be the order of the day. Alternatively, if humans have the ability to live forever, and the final hurdle of death is conquered, what will happen to religion then?

Increasing longevity and lifespans is integral to the transhumanist revolution, however overpopulation is also a significant problem that must be addressed. The globe is already grossly overpopulated and extended lifespans will exacerbate overpopulation, leading to resource scarcity, environmental degradation, and increased competition for limited space and opportunities — ultimately leading to war. The pursuit of immortality could lead to unforeseen consequences, such as the loss of motivation and purpose, as the natural cycle of life and death is disrupted bringing forth a form of ennui in human existence. AI’s ability to outperform humans in nearly every intellectual task by 2029 will also lead to widespread job displacement. However, it will also create new industries and opportunities. The challenge will be in managing the transition, ensuring that the benefits of AI are widely distributed and that those displaced are supported by a possible guaranteed Universal Income.

Governments will begin to rely on AI for policy-making, using vast data analysis and predictive algorithms to shape national and global strategies. To some extent, this is already happening where vast computer networks and data centres are linked up to LLMs all formulating variations of strategy and policy for governments to access, analyse and choose to apply to actual policy if they so wish. Governments will most certainly begin to rely on AI for policy-making, using vast data analysis and predictive algorithms to shape national and global strategies. AI entities with legal rights could emerge, potentially challenging human authority and necessitating new forms of governance.

Autonomous AI entities of the future may also choose to build and design their own physical robots which could pause a threat to humans who have not chosen to integrate with the machines.

Over time, AI entities with legal rights could emerge, potentially challenging human authority and necessitating new forms of governance. Autonomous AI entities would have to be accomodated within the legal framework of a transumanist scientific society. The concept of human rights will need to be redefined to include enhanced humans, AI beings, and uploaded consciousnesses. New branches of moral philosophy will emerge to tackle the questions posed by human-AI integration and digital immortality.

The rise of transhumanism will bring about significant ethical questions. What does it mean to be human? How do we deal with the potential loss of individuality in a world where minds can merge and consciousness can be shared? The potential for abuse, whether by governments, corporations, or individuals, is enormous. The new transhuman epoch will be both fantastic yet ultimately a frightening experience.