Death could be averted by 'downloaded brains', British
futurologist says
LONDON (AFP) May 22, 2005
Death could become a thing of the past by the mid-21st century as
computer technology becomes sophisticated enough for the contents
of a brain to be "downloaded" onto a supercomputer, according to a
leading British futurologist.
However, he told the Observer newspaper on Sunday, this technology
might be expensive enough to remain the preserve of the rich for a
decade or two more.
Among other eyebrow-raising predictions by Ian Pearson, head of the
futurology unit at British telecommunications giant BT, is the
prospect of computer systems being able to feel emotions.
This could eventually involve such things as aeroplanes being
programmed to be even more terrified of crashing than their
passengers, meaning they would do whatever possible to stay
airborne.
While the predictions might sound outlandish, they were merely the
product of extrapolations drawn from the current rate at which
computers are evolving, Pearson said in an interview with the
newspaper.
"If you draw the timelines, realistically by 2050 we would expect
to be able to download your mind into a machine, so when you die
it's not a major career problem," he said.
"If you're rich enough then by 2050 it's feasible. If you're poor
you'll probably have to wait until 2075 or 2080 when it's
routine.
"We are very serious about it. That's how fast this technology is
moving: 45 years is a hell of a long time in IT."
As an example of the advances being made, Pearson noted that Sony's
new PlayStation 3 computer games console is 35 times as powerful as
the model it replaced, and in terms of processing is "one percent
as powerful as a human brain".
In views which those of a religious persuasion might find hard to
handle, Pearson said the next computing goal would be to replicate
consciousness.
"Consciousness is just another sense, effectively, and that's what
we're trying to design on a computer," he said.
"Not everyone agrees, but it's my conclusion that it's possible to
make a conscious computer with superhuman levels of intelligence
before 2020."
One of the "primary reasons" for such work would be to give
computers emotions, Pearson said.
"If I'm on an aeroplane I want the computer to be more terrified of
crashing than I am so it does everything to stay in the air until
it's supposed to be on the ground."