Neuroscience, AI & The Future of Humanity - DR. BEN SHOFTY - Highlights


“I'm one of the people who believe that anything that we as human beings can imagine will eventually happen. So, if somebody has raised the question possibility of having brain implants that augment the brain and generate additional functions, I feel like it will eventually happen. There are a lot of private companies, like Elon Musk's Neuralink and others, that are busy designing these interfaces and planning these devices. Of course, nothing is available or even close to completion right now. The next step, of course, would be to modulate them. Just like any other thing in medicine, it will start or has already started with pathological states which we've talked about and people looking for potential interventions through TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation). It doesn't necessarily have to be invasive, but of course the next step, especially when we're talking about the brain is to intervene and generate additional functions or to improve the way the brain functions. Many people are working on trying to generate memory augmentation, navigation augmentations, and a lot of other functions. I assume eventually it will reach a point where we'll be able to pick and choose what we want to augment about our own brains. I assume that the technology will be there eventually. And this is something that will be a part of the natural evolution of the human race.”

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What are the dangers, risks, and opportunities of AI? What role can we play in designing the future we want to live in? With the rise of automation, what is the future of work? We talk to experts about the roles government, organizations, and individuals can play to make sure powerful technologies truly make the world a better place–for everyone. Conversations with futurists, philosophers, AI experts, scientists, humanists, activists, technologists, policymakers, engineers, science fiction authors, lawyers, designers, artists, among others. The interviews are hosted by founder and creative educator Mia Funk with the participation of students, universities, and collaborators from around the world.