Google Futurist Ray Kurzweil Researched by Ana J Chan
這真的是想人類達到長生不老？ 還是正在逐步走向以科技控制人類，甚至直截了當把沒用的 “機器” 一把関掉？
(Source: http://newwavehk.blogspot.hk/2013/06/blog-post_20.html and http://www.catholic.org/technology/ story.php?id=51424)
機體的衰退造成人類壽命的限制，皇帝意欲長生不老便服食仙丹，那些顯然是沒用的。如果能將我們的肉身改換作人工裝置，而意識也遷移到主機設備中，人類是否真的可以長生不老？這聽起來雖然有點兒反人類，不過谷歌工程總監Ray Kurzweil卻真的提出了這樣的設想，並認為30年以後此設想就可實現。
若將道德倫理全部撕碎拋到一邊，Kurzweil在周末紐約舉行的全球未來2045國際會議（Global Futures 2045 International Congress）所提的這一概念是否令很多意圖不信春哥也期望得永生的人有了希望呢？這個較有科幻色彩的大會原本就是由俄羅斯富翁Dmitry Itskov發起的，主要內容便是由專家創想2045年世界將會變成什麼樣。
這真的是想人類達到長生不老？ 還是正在逐步走向以科技控制人類，甚至直截了當把沒用的 “機器” 一把関掉？
(Source: http://newwavehk.blogspot.hk/2013/06/blog-post_20.html and http://www.catholic.org/technology/ story.php?id=51424)
機體的衰退造成人類壽命的限制，皇帝意欲長生不老便服食仙丹，那些顯然是沒用的。如果能將我們的肉身改換作人工裝置，而意識也遷移到主機設備中，人類是否真的可以長生不老？這聽起來雖然有點兒反人類，不過谷歌工程總監Ray Kurzweil卻真的提出了這樣的設想，並認為30年以後此設想就可實現。
若將道德倫理全部撕碎拋到一邊，Kurzweil在周末紐約舉行的全球未來2045國際會議（Global Futures 2045 International Congress）所提的這一概念是否令很多意圖不信春哥也期望得永生的人有了希望呢？這個較有科幻色彩的大會原本就是由俄羅斯富翁Dmitry Itskov發起的，主要內容便是由專家創想2045年世界將會變成什麼樣。
這位來自谷歌的未來學家表示，人類在30年以後便能將意識整體上傳到計算機設備上，隨後得以永生，這一工程又被稱作“Singularity”。“保守估計，完成模擬人類大腦的功能後，我們的智力將會得到10億倍的擴展。”人類的生物肢體則將被人工裝置代替，不過這一過程得到2100年才會實現。
在Kurzweil所著的《The Singularity Is Near》一書中，他提及由於大腦和人類意志可永久地數字化保存，即便在他們的肉體殞滅後也依然如此，所以人們的精神便真正得以不朽。而在他的另一本著作《Fantastic Voyage》中，Kurzweil則詳細闡述了人類生物肢體可被非生物人工裝置代替的構想與技術。
Kurzweil在會上說，實現這些目標的理論基礎包括了神經工程學，以及近期正在進行的大腦建模的研究和生物功能替代技術。實例包括LiveScience的人工耳蝸技術，可實現依附於大腦耳蝸神經的植入，通過電子刺激來恢復聽障人士的聽覺；又如在神經系統遭到破壞後依然可恢復人們運動機能的技術等。
“我們到那時將極大地'去生物化'，非生物部分會起到支配作用，而生物部分也就不那麼重要了。因為非生物部分具有更為強大的力量，並且也能理解生物體部分傳達的意思。我們都會擁有非生物的身體，這完全可以通過納米技術製造出來，並能在使用中讓人們感覺非常真實自然，從細節各方面都表現得和真實軀體一樣。”
在Kurzweil所著的《The Singularity Is Near》一書中，他提及由於大腦和人類意志可永久地數字化保存，即便在他們的肉體殞滅後也依然如此，所以人們的精神便真正得以不朽。而在他的另一本著作《Fantastic Voyage》中，Kurzweil則詳細闡述了人類生物肢體可被非生物人工裝置代替的構想與技術。
Kurzweil在會上說，實現這些目標的理論基礎包括了神經工程學，以及近期正在進行的大腦建模的研究和生物功能替代技術。實例包括LiveScience的人工耳蝸技術，可實現依附於大腦耳蝸神經的植入，通過電子刺激來恢復聽障人士的聽覺；又如在神經系統遭到破壞後依然可恢復人們運動機能的技術等。
“我們到那時將極大地'去生物化'，非生物部分會起到支配作用，而生物部分也就不那麼重要了。因為非生物部分具有更為強大的力量，並且也能理解生物體部分傳達的意思。我們都會擁有非生物的身體，這完全可以通過納米技術製造出來，並能在使用中讓人們感覺非常真實自然，從細節各方面都表現得和真實軀體一樣。”
除了Kurzweil之外，仍有一些專家和研究都相繼在意志永生與人工假體的技術上做過努力。比如生物科技公司United Therapeutics的CEO Martine Rothblatt就曾提出過“意識克隆（mindclones）”概念。這一概念的基本內容同樣為人類意識思維的數字化，並詳談到可在數字設備中創建“意識文檔（mindfiles）”，存儲不同人的不同思維信息。她說整個過程可以在一種為意識設計的軟件中實現。
此外今年早前康奈爾大學的研究人員借3D打印技術製造出耳朵假體，填充高密度膠原凝膠，並在膠原蛋白基質中加入軟骨細胞。這也成為Kurzweil理論的重要支持。
無論你對這樣的構思，以及人類長生不老的設想怎麼看，至少Kurzweil在會上提出的思路是科學向前推進的動力。“上一次在擴展額葉皮質之後，人類創立了語言、藝術和科學。在我們將大腦做進一步數字化擴張後，我們又將做出怎樣的創造性傑作，這是現在的我們所無法想像的。”
此外今年早前康奈爾大學的研究人員借3D打印技術製造出耳朵假體，填充高密度膠原凝膠，並在膠原蛋白基質中加入軟骨細胞。這也成為Kurzweil理論的重要支持。
無論你對這樣的構思，以及人類長生不老的設想怎麼看，至少Kurzweil在會上提出的思路是科學向前推進的動力。“上一次在擴展額葉皮質之後，人類創立了語言、藝術和科學。在我們將大腦做進一步數字化擴張後，我們又將做出怎樣的創造性傑作，這是現在的我們所無法想像的。”
Humans will be able to upload their entire minds to computers and become digitally immortal within the next generation. That's the projection of a Google Futurist Ray Kurzweil, who also predicts that the biological parts of our body will be replaced with mechanical parts as shortly as 2100.
Kurzweil, director of engineering at Google made the claims during his conference speech at the Global Futures 2045 International Congress in New York.
Becoming digitally immortal is an event called "singularity." Technological singularity is the development of "super-intelligence" brought about through the use of technology. "Singularity" was first referred to by mathematician John von Neumann in the mid-1950s.
"Ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue," Von Neumann said.
Kurzweil cited von Neumann's use of the term in a foreword to von Neumann's classic "The Computer and the Brain," predicting that the singularity will occur around 2045.
The Global Futures 2045 International Congress is the brainchild of Russian multimillionaire Dmitry Itskov and featured visionary talks about how the world will look by 2045.
"Based on conservative estimates of the amount of computation you need to functionally simulate a human brain, we'll be able to expand the scope of our intelligence a billion-fold," Kurzweil said.
Referring to Moore's Law, Kurzweil stated the power of computing doubles, on average, every two years quoting the developments from genetic sequencing and 3D printing.
In his book, "The Singularity Is Near," he plots this development and journey towards singularity in a graph.
This singularity is also referred to as "digital immortality" because brains and a person's intelligence will be digitally stored forever -- even after they die.
Kurzweil says that this will be possible through neural engineering and referenced the recent strides made towards modeling the brain and technologies which can replace biological functions.
Expanding on this idea, CEO of bio-tech company United Therapeutics, Martine Rothblatt, introduced the idea of "mindclones," digital versions of humans that can live forever and can create "mindfiles" that are a place to store aspects of our personalities.
"The first company that develops mindware will have [as much success as] a thousand Googles," she says.
(Source: http://newwavehk.blogspot.hk/2013/06/blog-post_20.html and http://www.catholic.org/technology/story.php?id=51424)
Kurzweil, director of engineering at Google made the claims during his conference speech at the Global Futures 2045 International Congress in New York.
Becoming digitally immortal is an event called "singularity." Technological singularity is the development of "super-intelligence" brought about through the use of technology. "Singularity" was first referred to by mathematician John von Neumann in the mid-1950s.
"Ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue," Von Neumann said.
Kurzweil cited von Neumann's use of the term in a foreword to von Neumann's classic "The Computer and the Brain," predicting that the singularity will occur around 2045.
The Global Futures 2045 International Congress is the brainchild of Russian multimillionaire Dmitry Itskov and featured visionary talks about how the world will look by 2045.
"Based on conservative estimates of the amount of computation you need to functionally simulate a human brain, we'll be able to expand the scope of our intelligence a billion-fold," Kurzweil said.
Referring to Moore's Law, Kurzweil stated the power of computing doubles, on average, every two years quoting the developments from genetic sequencing and 3D printing.
In his book, "The Singularity Is Near," he plots this development and journey towards singularity in a graph.
This singularity is also referred to as "digital immortality" because brains and a person's intelligence will be digitally stored forever -- even after they die.
Kurzweil says that this will be possible through neural engineering and referenced the recent strides made towards modeling the brain and technologies which can replace biological functions.
Expanding on this idea, CEO of bio-tech company United Therapeutics, Martine Rothblatt, introduced the idea of "mindclones," digital versions of humans that can live forever and can create "mindfiles" that are a place to store aspects of our personalities.
"The first company that develops mindware will have [as much success as] a thousand Googles," she says.
(Source: http://newwavehk.blogspot.hk/2013/06/blog-post_20.html and http://www.catholic.org/technology/story.php?id=51424)
