Settleretics: uploading consciousness. Digitizing consciousness in science fiction

I teach you about the superman. Man is something that must be transcended. What have you done to surpass him?
All beings hitherto have created something superior to themselves; and you want to be the ebb of this great wave and rather return to the state of the beast than to surpass man?
What is a monkey in relation to humans? A laughing stock or a painful shame. And man must be the same for the superman: a laughing stock or a painful shame.
Friedrich Nietzsche. Thus spoke Zarathustra.

Mental hacking

The famous journalist Quinn Norton, in a series of his articles, conducted interesting research on the topic of upgrading the human body - about which operations are especially popular in modern medicine. According to the author, the upgrade procedure can be considered as a real hacking, because as a result of “hacking” a person gains access to the undocumented capabilities of his body.

In America today, the most common modifications are surgery, including cosmetic surgery, and drugs that change body chemistry. This is not about treating diseases, but about improving the body. A drug for ADHD called Adderall, a prescription-only drug that stimulates attention and improves performance, is growing in popularity. In addition, millions of Americans take antidepressants, which have profound psychological effects. This can also be considered, in a sense, as hacking your body on a mental level.

Researchers at Harvard and Montreal are currently testing a drug that could suppress selected memories in the human brain. An experienced psychiatrist, using the substance Propranolol, will be able to carry out a filtration cleansing of the memory - select what needs to be left and try to block unnecessary waste.

Every year the number of people who want to change their psyche and consciousness in all available ways is growing. The latest achievements in this area are associated not with chemicals, but with computers...

One step before cyborgs

A year ago, the New York Medical Center successfully reported the completion of experiments on suppressing memories in rats. The experiments were carried out on the hippocampus, an organ that influences the process of learning and the formation of long-term memories. Scientists have learned to suppress the connections of synapses connecting neurons in the brain by injecting a chemical called ZIP. The rats trained to avoid a dangerous (electric shock) place after the injection forgot about their skill. However, this “erasing” did not in any way affect the functioning of their short-term memory, and, moreover, did not interfere with the formation of long-term memories in the future. Only past memories were deleted.

The hippocampus does not directly store memories, but without its normal functioning, no mammal can remember any new things. The hippocampus is responsible for transcoding information in a person’s short-term memory for its subsequent recording in long-term memory. This area of the brain is often damaged by injuries, epilepsy, various diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, and begins to function poorly in old age. There are currently no treatments for hippocampus. Experiments on rats are the first step in this direction.

So far, scientists are not able to find out which neurons and how they encode human memories. But biologists can calculate what logical transformations the hippocampus performs with neural signals. Roughly speaking, it can be looked at from the perspective of quantum theory, as a black box with many inputs and outputs. Different input combinations of signals lead to certain output combinations. This can be reproduced on a chip.

The scientists took thin slices of rat brains that were kept alive with nutrient solutions. The scientists stimulated the neurons entering the hippocampus with random signals generated by a computer, simulating the variety of information coming from outside. The researchers recorded the response signals. This work went on for more than one year. Finally, the computer was able to calculate all the mathematical functions that the rat's hippocampus performed on the neural signals. According to the authors of the work, this is the key to all memory. They created a chip that reproduced the functioning of a rat's hippocampus with 95% accuracy. In fact, the team has come close to the next stage of the experiment - the introduction of electronic
hippocampus in live rats. More precisely, the animals’ native hippocampus will not be removed, but only deactivated through medication.

The main result of the experiments is simple: parts of the brain can be replaced with electronic analogues. Right down to the structures that control consciousness. This means that very soon the entire brain will be able to be loaded onto a flash drive and carried with you as a backup :).

Uploading Consciousness

Uploading consciousness is a term familiar to all first-year students. This is when, after a night rave party, you immediately go to a calculus exam, cheered up by an alcoholic energy drink :). In science and science fiction, “consciousness uploading” is understood as a hypothetical technology that allows, after scanning the synaptic structures of the gray matter, to transfer consciousness from the brain to another medium.

Accurate brain scans produce a wealth of information about what is happening in our bodies psychologically, physiologically and chemically when we are happy or sad (or experiencing stress, rage, love, the desire to kill, spiritual upliftment or the desire to selflessly help people) . But is it possible to recreate, as a result of scanning, not an exact copy of our consciousness, but of ourselves? Scientists do not yet have an answer to this question, but research is already underway. For example, you can read about an experiment with connecting the human nervous system to a computer in Wired magazine.

Proponents of transhumanism believe that the human species is not the end of our evolution, but rather its beginning. Let's assume that we managed to remove the tracing paper from human consciousness without destroying the brain, and place it on an adequate medium so that the structure of the human brain is completely preserved. Will this be a step towards immortality? After all, the resulting copy of the human mind is perhaps nothing more than a copy that can henceforth live its long life, while the owner of the original mind grows old and dies.

To some extent, the problems that arise with identifying a copy of consciousness can be circumvented if the process of consciousness transfer is made smooth. To do this, for example, you can insert a chip with telecommunications capabilities into a person’s head, and as the brain biologically ages, transfer more and more replacement powers to the chip. In this case, at the moment of physical death, there will no longer be an independent human consciousness, and the problem of identification can be considered solved.

Settlerika: is resettlement possible?

Settleretica(by analogy with cybernetics, and from the English settler - settler) the science of the continuous and regular “relocation” (i.e. movement of information content) of consciousness and personality, from the aging brain to the reserve brain (the brain of a young body - bioclone, or in artificial neurocybernetic brain of a cyborg), with this person achieving practical immortality. Settleretica must solve two problems: first of all, find methods for retrieving this information (so-called), and secondly, write the information into a natural or artificial medium (so-called).

As for the first task, the main question here is: is it possible for consciousness to exist in isolation from the biological body? The answer is most likely yes. According to one popular theory, consciousness is not matter, but a function of highly organized matter. It exists in the form of encoded information concentrated in the human brain, mainly in the neocortex (the latest, “highest” part of the brain; in humans, the surface of the neocortex occupies 95.6% of the total surface of the cerebral cortex). At the same time, the laws of nature should not prohibit the “transfer” of personality and consciousness to another material medium, because information is invariant
regarding its medium, both material, on which this information is encoded, and ideal, that is, the code itself.

Uploading: human brain simulation

IBM was one of the first to attempt to model the human brain down to the molecular level. The project organizers hope that the model they are creating will allow us to better understand some aspects of the human mind, such as perception, memory, and maybe even consciousness itself.

The project uses the Blue Gene mainframe with a performance of 22.8 trillion floating point operations per second, which in principle allows for real-time operation. In addition to demonstrating the process of “electrical coding” of the “reality” perceived by the brain around it, the project can provide some assistance in identifying “faulty” areas of the brain, the appearance of which entails the development of mental disorders such as autism, schizophrenia and various depressive states.

A key part of the project will be the world's most complete computer model of the neocortex and the brain itself. To cope with the massive amount of data generated by the project, the team relies on visualization tools to help them find and flag interesting results for future research. The scientists purchased a supercomputer from SGI to create a small media center that displays 3D models to immediately evaluate the meaning of the data. So far, a group of scientists have written two software packages for cognitive computing. The 3D models represent about 10% of the 10,000 firing neurons, but with new computers purchased this year, the simulation should be 1,000 times better. What
will allow, for example, to go deeper into the cell and study the process of neuron excitation.

Still, some scientists express doubt that the experiment will achieve effective results in the next decade. The huge amount of data generated by the project simply cannot be analyzed. However, no one doubts that with the advent of sufficient computing power, creating a working model of the brain will not be difficult. At least? will cost less than the new operating system from Microsoft.

Downloading: what awaits us?

Main directions of development settleretic the following:

Implantation of a chip to build a “bridge” with a damaged area of the brain;
Regeneration of neurotissue by stimulating the growth of nerve fibers (irradiation with an electron flow or targeted exposure to the blue spectrum (“exciting” neurons);
Impulse control of “immobilized” muscles from healthy ones, bypassing the damaged area of the brain;
Transfer of consciousness to another material medium or complete regeneration of brain cells – i.e. achieving physical immortality.

On the first and second points, as already noted, experiments are carried out on animals - in particular, rats - and impressive results have been achieved. The remaining points are in the stage of extensive development. If the development trends of synergetics, cybernetics, neurosciences, network, computer and biotechnologies continue at today’s level, then “the current generation of citizens” will live to see the shift in consciousness. Polls show that most sensible people are frightened by this prospect. Many scientists, as well as some corporate executives (including Sun and IBM), have expressed concerns about the accelerating pace of progress.

Luddites protesting against the “kingdom of machines” can be divided into two camps: those who fear that their own consciousness will mutate and dissolve in the general information flow, and those who fear that humanity will lose primacy in the evolutionary chain. Most forecasts concern precisely the second part of the global threat to progress. That is, for the superconsciousness of the future, we will be what our distant ancestors – monkeys – are for us. There will inevitably be a division of humanity into super-electronic beings and ordinary people. The rich elite will be the first to move into a new stage of the existence of protein matter (not everyone will be able to afford an operation costing millions of dollars at first). And he won't allow it
do it to everyone else. Without division into layers, classes, the existence of humanity is impossible. Heaven is the end of the road, the end of our world.

We will, of course, be provided with plenty of food and walks in the forest. But you will have to forget about such things as money, power, the pursuit of happiness - that is, ambition, as well as love. Those “monkeys” who do not want to live in nature will receive their own “zoos” - eternal stimulation of pleasure centers.

It is impossible to stop progress, and besides, a certain percentage of people, very rich people, will always seek drugs or experiences that can change their mood. But another part of humanity must finally realize what it is that makes us human. Very soon, all that will remain for us is personality, the information flow of self-awareness. And how we behave will determine whether we retain our humanity or become an evolutionary appendage to the next super-race.

Philosophy has always influenced science fiction, but the opposite did not happen so often. A variety of works, be it “The Matrix” (Descartes, Baudrillard), "Evangelion" (Schopenhauer, Hegel, Kierkegaard), "Frankenstein" (Darwin and the Philosophers of the Enlightenment) or "Labyrinth" (Berkeley, Leibniz, Pascal), effectively disseminated philosophical theories using popular culture methods. All of them carefully approached philosophical issues, and therefore looked convincing from both an artistic and narrative point of view. And this is to say nothing of science fiction writers like Stanislaw Lem and Philip K. Kick, who influenced metaphysics and epistemology, or Ursula Le Guin and Aldous Huxley, who influenced politics and ethics.

What sets philosophy professor Pete Mandik apart from his colleagues is that he looks at philosophy and science fiction together. He lectures
on this topic, writes an essay about the mechanical brain and artificial intelligence,
and recently spoke at the “Night of Philosophy”, talking about the “digitization of consciousness.” Mandik not only says that things that now seem impossible (like transferring a person's consciousness into a robot) are feasible.
He believes that the future of humanity depends on how seriously we take this.

Pete Mandik

Professor of Philosophy at William Paterson University in New Jersey

Explores the intersections between philosophy of mind and cognitive fields, particularly neuroscience, psychology, and artificial intelligence. Author of the books Key Terms in Philosophy of Mind and This Is Philosophy of Mind: An Introduction, as well as numerous publications.

What is it about the idea of transferring consciousness into digital form that fascinates you so much?

There are people who believe that it is possible to survive death by simulating or recreating consciousness with a computer program. For example, it is possible to scan your brain while you are still alive and create a detailed three-dimensional model of all the structures and activities of the brain down to the molecular level. After this, you can run a computer simulation of the brain. In terms of meaning, it will resemble simulations of natural disasters - for example, hurricanes.

Optimists believe that this simulation will be the same as you: you will remain alive, just in a different state. Pessimists disagree with them on two things. First, they say that computer simulation of consciousness is impossible - just as artificial intelligence and simulation of feelings are impossible. Secondly, even if a computer system can simulate consciousness, at best it will become a copy of it. No matter how close this simulation is to you, it will not become you: your personality dies with you.

Do you consider yourself an optimist or a pessimist on this issue?

In my opinion, as in the case of other metaphysical questions, it cannot be resolved through discussion. No argument will allow us to settle on one point of view or another. All the facts from which we proceed are not disputed by anyone, but they do not allow us to conclude whether computers can have consciousness - or only a copy of it.

I suggest that this impasse can be overcome by turning to the theory of evolution and the Darwinian approach. Their fundamentals can be applied to any system where there is reproduction and adaptation. Using this abstract model, we can describe a system in terms of qualities that enhance its fitness. One of the qualities of computer simulations is whether they can believe in something, namely, believe that they will survive. From the point of view of metaphysics, this is a discussion about whether this faith can be called true, but I approach this from the other side - can it be said that this faith helps the system survive. Physical systems that believe this will reproduce themselves with a higher probability than those that do not.

Can metaphysical views promote survival?

I consider attitudes toward reproduction on a scale of metaphysical courage and metaphysical timidity. Metaphysical courage manifests itself
is that the bet is on survival. At the same time, the system does not have absolute knowledge and cannot be sure whether it will survive or not, so the risk is high. In the case of timidity, the opposite is true: the system assumes that it does not have absolute knowledge and is not ready to believe that it will survive.

The difference between courage and timidity becomes more obvious if we look at it through the lens of the digitization of consciousness. Many believe that when digitization technology first appears, brain scanning will be destructive to the brain itself. To obtain data about it, it will have to be frozen or thinly cut. This is a potentially risky procedure, especially if your assumptions about the nature of consciousness turn out to be wrong. But I believe that beings who exhibit metaphysical courage are more likely to survive - this is a more pragmatic approach.

Books that he recommends
Pete Mandik:

“‘Diaspora’ and ‘Permutation City’ are about living in a virtual world, creating an entire universe that can be explored in a computer simulation.”

“Many novels deal with what, in theory, might be a singularity. "Accelerando" is my favorite of them. He's the best at showing how weird it will be, even though he doesn't say it directly. In it you will see what a singularity can actually be like.”

Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross -
the rapture of the Nerds

“Another good story about the singularity and the post-human world.”

When you talk about survival in the abstract, it seems as if you are talking about information, simulations
and genetic codes, not specific people. Darwin's theory considers the survival of a species, not its individual members. While this is a compelling approach, shouldn't the ultimate goal be the survival of individuals?

Yes, I think that's how it should be. Whether it is achievable or not is another matter. What I'm saying is that if you think it's achievable, then from a Darwinian perspective you have a much higher chance of surviving than if you don't think so.

It turns out that metaphysical courage is no less valuable Darwinian quality than attractiveness or intelligence?

Yes, these qualities are useful to any species or subspecies. But will they be useful to its individual representative? Let's look at this with this example. Imagine a man who led a decent life, but did not have children,
and a man who also spent his life worthily, and left behind descendants.
From the point of view of each of them, they lived a good life, and it is not clear why they should care about anything else. But in general, there are more people who are guided by the interests of the future and society. It is easy to explain why many people value the existence of people who are similar to them. We are flexible creatures in this regard,
people can have any values. And if those values are oriented towards the future and other members of the species, then that is a good reason to be metaphysically brave.

The fate of humanity worries many. People like Nick Bostrom and Elon Musk are concerned about "existential risks" that threaten our existence. If you think about it this way, there are many of them: a natural disaster could occur, an epidemic could begin that cannot be curbed, or the Earth could collide with an asteroid. Think about it - after all, our culture contains values oriented towards the future of humanity, and whether we survive or not depends on them.

If you look into the distant future, then, on the one hand, there is the prospect of conquering and colonizing space, and on the other, changing the form of human existence. This is where we think about the digitization of consciousness. Still, human travel through space is an expensive pleasure. We weigh a lot
We have many needs, we produce waste - and without all this we will not survive. Computer programs need much less. In its current form, the human brain, even despite all the complexity of its structure, is a rather inefficient way of spending matter. Physicists have calculated how much information can be stored in a piece of matter: our brain does not come close to these limits in terms of both storing and processing information. Theoretically, we can collect the consciousnesses of all people and store them in an area the size of a house.

If you follow a future-oriented mindset,
then doesn’t it turn out that everything will end one way or another in thermal death or a great compression of the Universe?

According to the second law of thermodynamics, if this is where everything goes, then the Universe will cease to exist in a state of irreversible equilibrium: everything will perish, and there is no hope for immortality. To trigger even small reactions, it will be necessary to upset the balance. But be that as it may, this will not happen soon. People who are concerned about existential threats want us to live longer, not to live forever. Moreover, the longer we live, the more likely it is that we will discover the shortcomings of the current model and create a new one.

What if we uploaded our consciousness to a computer?
and it turns out that this is a terrible form of existence? We will be locked in this echo chamber where we will not be able to talk to anyone. Camus wrote that human freedom lies
is that we choose life and can kill ourselves if we want. Can a simulation of our consciousness in a computer commit suicide?

The physical systems we're talking about won't be much different from us
and will have the same level of freedom and will. The human brain follows the same deterministic laws that a computer would follow. If you are compatibilist (absolute free will and determinism can coexist), then the consciousness simulations will still have the freedom to accept or reject values, make choices, and so on. In general, we are now so free that we can choose another form of existence, even a non-biological one.

Digitizing consciousness in science fiction:

Movie "Tron"

Artificial intelligence digitizes the programmer, who finds himself inside the virtual world.

Manga "Ghost in the Shell"

(1989–1991)

In the future, people will replace their body and consciousness with mechanical and electrical parts - sometimes entirely. The manga also deals with the philosophical consequences of complete mechanization.

Comic "RoboCop vs. Terminator"

In this Frank Miller comic, RoboCop's brain is uploaded to Skynet, the evil artificial intelligence from the Terminator films. RoboCop's consciousness hides in Skynet for about a year until he finds a chance to destroy it.

Anime "Cowboy Bebop"

(1998–1999)

Brain Scratch, episode 23, is about a cult that plans to transfer consciousness into a computer network.

The series "Black Mirror"

(since 2011)

The Christmas episode White Christmas, which aired in 2014, describes the process of uploading the consciousness of a living person onto a device that controls a smart home. The operator of this device can accelerate the mind's perception of time so that it will survive a thousand-year prison sentence in a few real hours.

Video game Metroid Fusion

The brain of Adam, the deceased commander and friend of the main character Samus Aran, is uploaded to the Federation network. The brains of all famous scientists undergo the same procedure.

Contrary to popular belief, The Matrix (1999)- this is not a story about the digitization of consciousness. Although the action takes place in virtual reality and simulation, the consciousness of the protagonist Neo is still located in his brain, which is connected to the Matrix through a special interface.

Okay, but there's another problem. In many ways, human consciousness is a product of being in a causal network. The retina of the eye perceives light and we see, the ear perceives sound and we hear. Our consciousness is dynamic, not static. What happens if you digitize it? Will the simulation stay in place?

Perhaps both. A huge source of inspiration for me is the novels of Greg Egan. He deals with these issues and presented three scenarios for the development of the post-human world. The first, which I call “timid,” is, in fact, the appearance of the same earthly biological life form that
and humanity, simply reinvented. The second scenario is programs that exist in virtual reality, and the third is robots that prefer to explore the outside world and therefore spend very little time in virtual reality. Egan described the cultures that emerged within each of these groups. Thus, in virtual reality there are creatures that explore the outside world with the help of video cameras and engage in natural sciences, but there are also creatures that follow only a priori forms of thinking. Any of these scenarios are possible.

The transfer of consciousness to “another medium” is no longer fake news, a myth from oriental fairy tales or a fantasy story, but is quite being discussed, primarily in the transhumanist community. In the presentation of the majority, the technology resembles the film “The Matrix” - a helmet is put on the head and with the help of all sorts of computer “gizmos” and technologies still awaiting their inventors, the “consciousness”, “personality” of the individual in the helmet is “transferred” first to the computer, and then to an eternal cyborg robot who immediately rushes to explore the Universe on near-light (or superluminal) transport. And really, what’s easier is to convert human memory into machine-readable codes, or create a processor that emulates the human brain and “load” this memory there. In reality, the first difficulty we face is what exactly are we “converting,” digitizing, uploading? Is the human body just a “vessel”, a container for consciousness, personality? Upon closer examination, it is clear that such an idea comes from the division of man into “soul” and “body” and apparently goes back to ancient experiences, perhaps only imaginary, when the “spirit” was first transferred into a “vessel” (Aladdin’s lamp) and then into a new one. body" (there is an assumption that technology was used that required gold to operate the transfer system). Observing the growth and development of a person from the moment of conception, we see that the resources of the mother and the development codes of two parents are first used, then “birth” occurs, separation from the mother and a transition to another method of consuming resources (mouth, lungs) and “turns on” a program of direct contact with the world, training and education, which continues to work, forms new codes for the conception of a new being and having created a certain number (millions) of code carriers (male and female), and having completed the program to create a new birth opportunity, finishes “working”, create new copies and leads to “death,” the physical disintegration of the individual. It is already customary to divide memory into genetic (given by parents), internal (brain, synaptic) and external (writing and any other fixation and storage in conventional symbols), and also take into account the presence and main role of communication, the connection of these types of memory, which not only forms internal memory in contact with the “external” world, but itself is the result of a multi-billion-year history of interactions. Thus, in dinosaurs, researchers note an undeveloped “brain”, but an extremely large “sacral” part of the nervous system, “responsible” for the main processing of incoming information (and the eyes, as one well-known character aptly remarked, “are the part of the brain exposed to the external environment "). The body and its “parts” are not just a “container” of “spirit”, “consciousness”, but also an integral part of it, not just drive mechanisms, interfaces of the main system, but also channels for the development of the system itself, memory, information processing methods and display methods information (skills, skills). Moreover, everything created by man is basically a manifestation and copying of the properties of the communication system, the capabilities and abilities of the whole person, including the emotional part, which is not just a set of temperature, movement and pressure sensors, but also an integral “channel” of development and interaction , displaying complex and long-term signals from one type of memory to another (music, painting, dance, theater, etc.). Moreover, a person “stands” at the top of the “food chain” of the Earth’s biosphere, using for his existence the entire memory of the entire biosphere during billions of birth-death cycles (or trying to use it) both in the form of fruits of plants and animals and in the form of new, synthesized for himself substances and organisms, has not yet exhausted all the possibilities of his own body-consciousness both in acquiring new skills and in demonstrating his capabilities in technology and organizing his own space-time (civilization-noosphere). So, to “transfer” the “digitization” of an existing developing personality (human), we will need a “body” capable of self-development with a mandatory program of “mastering” something, that is, capable of not just moving mechanically, but having the potential for “development”, “complication” "due to the absorption, processing of the "external" environment, the potential for "learning", acquiring new skills and abilities, in order to most successfully transfer the communicative part of memory (emotional, sensory, interfaces). And accordingly, an apparatus for interpretation (consciousness, brain), and the apparatus is also developing, capable of holding and comparing not just signals, but also images (complex complexes), systems of images (models) and complexes of systems (paradigms, including contradictory, mutually exclusive ones) each other) and capable of not only connecting to already created external memory-coding systems, but capable of creating new systems, and, perhaps, perceiving other ranges and levels of the universe that are inaccessible to us (incapable of self-organization and self-development will not be able to “live” will inevitably collapse like any symmetrical nonliving substance). This means that the task may not consist in copying the existing and visible, but in creating a new code capable of independently organizing the required body, connecting to the necessary “address” of memory in the universe, “reading” information about the formation of properties and developing into a new thinking being (possibly “remembering” "myself in a human body). One can imagine that instead of spaceships spewing spent megatons of working fluid, certain “rays” (randomness;)) are “directed” to the desired planet in the galactic spiral, which “trigger” a self-development reaction. And in the process of development, beings gain access to increasingly complex processes and states of common universal memory.

Humanity has always dreamed of immortality and sought ways to achieve it. And now the new century has brought new opportunities. Scientists at Stanford University, who study and develop the latest modern digital technologies, have proposed their own way to preserve people for eternal life. They believe that digitizing the human brain is exactly the path along which we will all come to a new endless life in the form of bits and bytes of information.

Digitizing the human brain

Futurologists are confident that in 30-40 years, computer technology will reach a level that will make it easy to digitize the human brain. And by that time, medicine must take a big step forward - in the direction of deciphering all brain signals and studying the subtle principles of its work. When all this is studied, converting electromagnetic impulses of brain activity into digital form will not be difficult. This will make it quite possible to create artificial intelligence not on an abstract basis, but on the basis of a specific human personality. Moreover, the virtual mind will be a complete copy of the real one, only it will continue to live and develop not on a biological, but on an electronic medium.

Inventor and futurist Raymond Kurzweil predicts that the digitization of human consciousness will become available to everyone by the middle of the century. He believes that a person with his thoughts, knowledge and memories, existing in virtual reality, will be even more perfect than his living prototype, because he will be able to study and remember everything he wants. So far it seems that the copy cannot be better than the original, but do not forget that it was Kurzweil who predicted the emergence of the Internet back in the 80s, but no one believed him. And now we cannot imagine life without the World Wide Web. So, maybe this forecast of his is not so incredible?

This is confirmed by the words of the world-famous futurist, head of Futurizon, Ian Pearson: “By 2050, computer technology will reach such a high level that human consciousness can be completely transferred to a supercomputer. At the moment of a person's death, a special device will scan the dying person's brain, rewriting the complex electrical potentials of his brain's neurons into models of neurons in a computer. Thanks to such “digitization”, a person, without noticing the moment of death, will smoothly move into virtual reality, where he can live forever. In this way, our consciousness will be able to survive the death of the body, which will henceforth cease to be a problem for humanity. Technically this is quite feasible. Already, the new SonyPlayStation 3 game console, equipped with a Cell processor, is capable of operating at a performance of 218 gigaflops, which puts it on par with the standards of supercomputers 10 years ago. This performance is 1% of the human brain's performance. The PlayStation 5 will likely be as powerful as a brain. Of course, at first, technologies for “digitizing” the human brain will be available only to the richest, but in the coming decades they will become the property of ordinary people.”

Why do you need a supercomputer? After all, in fact, the work of the human brain is very similar to the processes already occurring in modern processors. The thing is that the potential of the human brain is much greater than any existing computer can accommodate. But scientists are already testing the possibility of transferring personality into virtuality, although so far only by collecting and analyzing biographies, social pages, Internet activity, telephone conversations and email correspondence. But the ultimate goal of these experiments is not yet the immortality of the personality, but its transfer to other media, that is, the separation of the personality from the body. Thus, although the brain will physically die, all the information it has received throughout its life will be preserved. But the computers of the future will allow the individual not only to survive, but to improve and develop.

Although digitization is still a long way off for everyone, virtual copies of famous people can already be found on the Internet. These digital twins can not only be examined, studied or read more about them, but even communicated with them. There are many sites on the Internet that are specifically designed for such conversations. True, digital celebrities cannot yet respond to live human speech, but only respond to entered text - it is easier for modern programs to recognize.

One of the most popular electronic interlocutors at the moment is the legendary member of the Fab Four - John Lennon. His virtual copy knows all the poems and lyrics of the leader of the legendary group and can answer three hundred standard questions. Unfortunately, the electronic copy of the musician cannot boast of excellent intelligence: for example, to the question “Are you a walrus?” Lennon from the Internet replies: "The walrus was Mary Poppins."

What do futurologists think will happen in the middle of this century? Anyone can connect to the device and, under the watchful supervision of doctors and programmers, undergo the “consciousness uploading” procedure. Once the process is completed on the computer the person was connected to, a complete digital copy of it will appear. Moreover, in the memory of the electronic double there will be all the memories of how the upload of consciousness took place and how he ended up in the new world. The copy will be sure that it has simply made a journey from a biological shell to an electronic one. What will happen to the real person? He will live on, along with his double living on the Internet. Unfortunately, it is the digital personality that receives immortality as such, and not the person who created it. Doctors and psychologists believe that such knowledge will put a lot of pressure on the psyche and affect a person, so they recommend digitizing a person in old age or on his deathbed. There is one more plus in this - the personality is fully formed, and the copy will develop within the framework already established by the person’s character. This, according to scientists, is one of the necessary conditions for copying a person. After all, during digitization, thoughts, knowledge, ideas will fall into virtuality, but not the feelings and emotions of the individual. Therefore, the more concrete and specific information and life experience the double receives, the more he will correspond to his prototype.

In an effort to make a virtual copy of a person similar to the original person in every way, scientists do not forget about the fundamental differences between life in a digital format. They advocate that the existence of our doubles in global information networks will be simpler and better than ours. One of the ardent supporters of this idea is Alexander Bolonkin, a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He confidently states: “Our biological body freezes, suffers from heat, needs clothing and care, and is easily damaged. It is much more convenient to have a virtual body that has enormous strength, is insensitive to cold and heat, and does not need food or oxygen.”

Another undoubted advantage of digital existence will be the much greater availability of knowledge. The virtual personality will have at its disposal any information in any volume and, most importantly, time for learning and self-improvement.

But with all the obvious advantages, digitizing the brain also has its disadvantages, which for some can become quite significant.

The first and main question is whether the virtual personality will be complete? After all, copying a person’s thoughts and knowledge is not everything. Will the information copy be able to feel, will it experience emotions, will it have good or bad habits, or, for example, a conscience? Scientists cannot answer this question unequivocally.

The second problem is relevant for everyone whose work is related to information technology - data security. There are no completely reliable servers yet, and any information can be stolen, rewritten, changed or simply erased. It is clear that people living ordinary lives are not immune from destruction. But who wants to have their innermost memories or secrets stolen and exposed to the public? Or did they change his personality, albeit virtual, beyond recognition?

While most programmers promise first of all the digitization of the pure mind, some still hope that the virtual personality will be able to preserve its feelings and emotions. British futurologist Richard Watson predicts this outcome of events by 2050. He hopes that in 30 years, the Internet, film industry, pharmaceuticals, computer technology and brain science will become one and the merger of these industries will allow people to have endless opportunities for entertainment and self-expression. Mr. Watson predicts the emergence of the fourth version of the Internet, the web 4.0 era, which will make, in his words, a “semantic revolution” and give everyone a sensory experience of being in virtuality. A person will be able to experience the digital space with all five senses. True, this will require a special uniform and special pills. But as soon as feelings and emotions become available to a person on the World Wide Web, they can be recorded and digitized, creating a harmonious virtual copy of the personality.

Another significant problem is storage media. Everyone would like to entrust their immortal personality to the most reliable equipment. But, unfortunately, no one is immune from power surges or server failure. And such accidents can lead to complete or partial loss of data - that is, to the disappearance of a virtual personality or its distortion.

One of the steps towards digitizing personality was the creation of the Blurred Shape Model automatic handwriting recognition system, which was developed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The innovative system tries to imitate a person and interpret scanned images, comparing them with those already in the computer’s memory - the same principle is used to recognize images in the human brain. And the program has quite a large database for comparison. Thus, the smart system not only detects the slightest variations and features of any handwriting, but also works almost in real time, producing a scanning result in a matter of seconds with an accuracy of up to 98%. This program will soon be used both for digitizing personal documents of everyone and for automatically deciphering ancient manuscripts, which will greatly facilitate the work of scientists.

Body digitization

Some scientists believe that digitizing the human mind is only half the battle. They strive to transfer the entire person into virtuality - with all his physical features and individual traits. After all, if our mind can live in information networks forever, then it would be nice to preserve our beloved familiar body, which at the same time can be changed, modernized and improved at will. Proponents of the complete digitization of humans have already done a lot in this field.

One of the most advanced technologies that will soon be widely used for these purposes is three-dimensional scanning. It is already widely used to create electronic copies of a wide variety of objects, but the creation of digital copies of living people has only recently begun. After all, the human body is one of the most complex complex objects, and it is very difficult to create a living, moving model without using the 3D modeling that is familiar to us from films and computer programs. Despite the amazing accuracy of three-dimensional laser scanners - 100 microns - it is not possible to scan a person and transfer him to virtuality without some changes. After all, each part of the body must be analyzed separately - not only in a stationary state, but also in motion - from at least 30-40 angles. This is necessary for greater detail: for example, modern equipment can convey an image of the hand with amazing accuracy - from the shape and pattern of the veins to the scales of the skin. But even with such detail, so-called “shaded areas” appear in any model - small places that, due to the peculiarities of the structure, could not be scanned. In such cases, the scanner comes to the aid of smart programs that fill in the gaps anatomically correctly.

After receiving completely finished and processed virtual parts, they begin to assemble the whole. This process is roughly and simply called “stitching,” but the result is much more attractive than the creation of Dr. Frankenstein. The resulting entire copy is no longer processed automatically - the operator carefully monitors the careful correction of the slightest errors or distortions.

After this, the digital copy of the human body undergoes a series of checks - and now it is ready for life in information networks. It is clear that we are talking here about an absolutely identical from an anatomical point of view, albeit taking into account small technical errors, a virtual analogue of a specific person. You don't have to put in as much effort to get a simpler, rougher copy. After all, there are already programs for creating digital characters for games that look like the owner, or movie characters drawn in 3D, indistinguishable, at first glance, from real actors.

Although human digitization now seems like a fantasy, progress in this area is enormous. For example, the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communication Technology and Osaka University have entered into a joint research agreement to create the latest technology for reading information and images that arise in the human brain. In just three years, researchers should create the most advanced technologies for digitizing and deciphering human images and sensations. If successful, the new technology could make it easier for partially or completely paralyzed patients to communicate with the outside world.

Virtual piece of paper without which you are a bug

While scientists are struggling to transfer the human mind and body into the virtual world of software code, officials are already taking the first steps in digitizing a person not only and not so much as an individual, but as a subject. The introduction of electronic identity cards, the introduction of microchips under the skin of every citizen, virtual accounts, notices, certificates - it is all just a matter of time. Even digital copies of people in the future will find virtual documents useful, but they can also serve today’s very real people.

A variety of virtual documents are gradually coming into use in many developed countries. Thus, in Russia, already in 2014, they are going to issue a universal electronic card for every citizen over 14 years of age. In addition to the certificate of compulsory medical and pension insurance, it will contain other information - for example, data for access to various government services or the Sberbank payment application. And soon, based on this technical innovation, it is planned to create electronic passports. Of course, in our information age, such a document is necessary and convenient - after all, it allows you to replace hundreds of different pieces of paper, certificates and crusts that are so easy to forget, lose or spoil and so difficult to restore or make changes to them. Virtual documents are always available, easily created and modified, and are never lost: an electronic card can be easily restored by simply overwriting the data stored on government servers to a new medium.

And to ensure that the universal electronic card is not lost or used by strangers, a system of special VeriChip microchips is being developed, which in the future may be implanted in the hand of every person. This way, complete and comprehensive information about any citizen will always be available, in any situation, and no one will need to fill out any forms, prove their identity, prove their solvency, and so on. There is no doubt that such an innovation, capable of making life easier and more convenient, will be rejected by many.

However, the innovative personal identification system, even at the card level, not to mention technically complex microchips, also has its obvious disadvantages.

Firstly, in order for the electronic document system to work, it is necessary to cover all more or less significant institutions - from passport offices to district clinics - at least on a national scale. And if we are to switch to digital documents, while abandoning their paper copies, then it makes sense to introduce this system only on a worldwide scale.

Secondly, the cost of implanting a VeriChip is not so small - $200 immediately and another $40 annually to maintain the database. In the case of electronic cards, the annual fee is slightly less, but for the state the amount is still impressive. And convincing everyone of the need to pay for an innovation that may be convenient but not necessary will not be easy.

The third difficulty can safely be considered the psychological fear of total control. To introduce a general data tracking system, people will have to be convinced that the innovation will only serve their personal safety and convenience, and not to control everyone and everything. This may not be easy to do. After all, if we look at the history of mankind, we will find that it was criminals who were forcibly subjected to “documentation” in the first place - they were branded, their hands were cut off, or their nostrils were torn out. It was to control dangerous people that mandatory photographing or fingerprinting was initially introduced. Now in some states they are also subject to electronic monitoring methods - sensors for constant wear that can notify the police of escape attempts. But the majority of respectable citizens do not want to mark themselves at all.

Fourthly, many are afraid of the possibility of information leakage or database hacking. Even now, because of posts on social networks, people are fired from their jobs, and the apartments of those who shared with friends the dates of their upcoming vacation are sometimes robbed. And in the case of virtual documents, the scope for fraud or pressure is limitless.

Various public organizations spoke out against the digitization of humans, and the Russian Orthodox Church did not stand aside. The clergy are especially dissatisfied with the transition to virtual document management and the provision of electronic cards and chips to everyone. The clergy sets out their position in the document “The position of the Church in connection with the development of technologies for recording and processing personal data” adopted on this issue at the Council of Bishops held in Moscow. The document reads: “The Church considers unacceptable any form of coercion of citizens to use electronic identifiers, automated means of collecting, processing and recording personal data and personal confidential information.” It demands that every person be given the right to refuse imposed technological innovations. It is not surprising that the church fathers are against implanting electronic chips with information into their flocks - after all, perhaps this is how the terrible prediction of John the Theologian will come true: “Everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, will receive a mark on their right hand , or on their foreheads, and that no one will be able to buy or sell except the one who has this mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

It remains to be hoped that the state takes all these aspects into account by introducing a system for digitizing identity and converting all paper documents into bytes of information.

One way or another, scientific progress is moving forward by leaps and bounds, scientists and programmers are confident that everyone who wants to will very soon have the opportunity to immortalize themselves digitally and leave their electronic copy to live forever. But whether to use this, everyone can decide for themselves.