Is Digital immortality possible? Can memories be saved?
Disclaimer: This article serves as theory and when reading please note that the context of this article is in technology and totally bypasses religion and politics. So while reading this please understand that I approached this topic from a science fiction perspective and did not delve into religion or spirituality. With that being said – research was done before going into this topic and everything you read on this post is historical fact and fact checked with my personal opinions mixed in. Ok, grab some popcorn and enjoy.
Cryogenics and can technology allow us to live forever?
Back in 1967 a gentleman by the name of Bob Nelson was on the verge of a possible breakthrough in modern science. Bob was one of the first pioneers of a newly emerging technology called cryogenics. Cryogenics or for the better context of this article cryopreservation is the freezing of humans or animals at very low temperatures with the intent of reviving the subject in the future via possible future reanimation technology. Nelson had created media buzz because he was one of the first people to help successfully cryogenically freeze a person. That person was Dr.James Bedford who was the first person to be cryogenically preserved after death and until this day is still preserved for possible future reanimation at Alco Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona.
At this facility in Arizona to date over 100 people or their brains are frozen for the purpose to possibly be revived or regenerated in the future when the technology allows. In theory what would seem like 500 years to us, to them if revived time would be no different than falling asleep and waking up the next morning. There is obviously a demand for this type of technology. What is the driving motivational factor behind every person’s want…maybe from person to person it may be different. Maybe some folks just want to wake up in the future…maybe some folks are just wanting to live long enough to see the day that digital immortality becomes more than science fiction. So over the course of mankind’s history, man has always tried or attempted to come up with ways to achieve immortality. By freezing your brain and being revived in a robotic body in the future… well that technically is like the true definition of a Cyborg.
Definition of Cyborg:
According to Wikipedia –
(A cyborg (short for “cybernetic organism“) is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.)
Passengers – Movie Spoiler Alert – Please bypass the next short paragraph, although it really isn't a spoiler because you can decipher that from the trailers.
I recently saw the movie Passengers and I thought it was awesome how passengers were frozen in some type of a cryogenic state for over 120 years while their spaceship transported them to another solar system. The passengers never grew old during this journey. This showcased a simple version of how cryogenics can be used in the future.
Transhumanism
If you Google transhumanism – currently you will see:
“the belief or theory that the human race can evolve beyond its current physical and mental limitations, especially by means of science and technology”
What if in the future when people are at the end stage of life, they can preserve their memories on a hard drive. What if a person’s memory can be downloaded to a server? What if the very fabric of life or what we think we know of it can all be uploaded to a data farm. Believe it or not, there are some companies right now working on this very same technology. Imagine being able to download your digital soul online or to a server, only to later be downloaded or to exist in a digital world somewhere on a server farm. This all seems far-fetched, right? If history has taught us anything…. it is that technology is rapidly evolving and very unpredictable.
I would not be surprised if sometime within the next 50 years this technology will be readily available. It would be a stretch to believe that a soul or a digital copy of it can one day exist in an online or connected fashion. I once worked on a project for a stem cell company where cord blood from a baby was able to be preserved for future use. In the future, if that baby as an adult would ever suffer from certain diseases, this blood and the non-embryonic stem cells could be used to help treat diseases such as leukemia and what not. The financial aspect would require the person or family of the person to make payments in order to preserve this blood. So with that type of payment model, would people in the future have to pay to preserve their family member’s digital existence? What happens if the family stops making payments?… ok maybe I am thinking too much into this.
Are we on the verge of technological singularity?
The point of this article is to push the boundaries of imagination. What if a person who is suffering from a terminal illness can be downloaded onto a server only to be later revived 80 years later into a robotic body with an advanced core processor. In theory, this would be a cyborg. Sure… this sounds completely way out there…. but for folks already working and developing these types of technologies in a lab, they already know that mathematically this may be possible.
A company named Etermine is already working on a service that will preserve your past friends by using their social media accounts and other online profiles into one profile. People will be able to talk and chat with their family members who have passed away in a generic chatbot or talking head on their computers. Sure, you obviously are not talking to the same person but rather data compiled on them that helped to create a soft digital format of them. As long as someone is paying the bill, they would be able to communicate with this chat bot. Using Facebook and other characteristics mined they would be able to communicate back and forth with this software. So for an example if your passed away friend was a fan of the Orlando Magic… he or she may ask you who won the latest game. Creepy…..right? But for some people, this can actually provide comfort and may be able to provide them with a lasting memory.
Etermine’s website currently states:
“Think of it like a library that has people instead of books, or an interactive history of the current and future generations.”
Now even though this is not truly uploading of the mind, it is a start for what may be to come.
Elon Musk is currently rumored to be involved in a project that is pushing boundaries in the tech world. This is the same guy who helped create the modern private space flight industry today as we know it. Elon has brought to market projects and products once deemed impossible. He is currently working on the Hyperloop, a transportation system straight out of science fiction movies. However creating advanced transportation systems and being able to map the trillions upon trillions of intricacies of the human mind are two-way different concepts. If I had to put my money on anyone reaching this goal first… I would put my money on Elon.
Disclaimer well sorta: My brother at one point worked for Solar city an Elon Musk related firm.
Digital immortality will be a concept I predict that in ten or 20 years will be mainstream and may even be taught in certain schools or colleges as theory or perhaps as fact. Ray Kurzweil a famous author and computer scientist once said that he believed that by 2045, people will be able to achieve digital immortality via uploading of the mind.
Still….I have questions.
Could the contents of a brain, one day fit on an SD Card?
What if the brain of this person is already damaged, say by dementia? Will a person with a mental disorder just transfer this illness digitally onto the server? Will this “copy” or digital soul have rights? Who is going to pay for this and what happens when a person stops paying? What if a person wants to pass away normally and someone or organization does not respect that wish and uploads them anyway?
These are all questions that I am sure over time if this technology is ever achieved will be addressed. I hope you find this article intriguing and feel free to provide feedback below. Thank you for reading.
So to answer the question…. Is digital immortality possible?
Answer: It is highly unlikely that the soul can ever be uploaded or downloaded anytime soon… but more probable that memories may be able to be saved in the future. There are companies already working on this that achieved results in being able to map the mind. Only time will tell.
Thank you for reading…
Sincerely,
Kedesh