Achieving immortality has long been a vision that seems to be out of reach. However, some futurists believe that by 2045 humans will achieve digital immortality by uploading their minds to computers [1]. Today, the startup Nectome works exactly on that. Nectome wants to upload and preserve people’s minds by preserving the brain using a revolutionary technique and then uploading the information to the cloud [2][3]. However, this comes with one certain twist – the brain has to be fresh, which means you have to be euthanized first [2]. Therefore, Nectome’s mind-uploading service is rather aimed at people with terminal illnesses. Also, Netcome says they don’t plan to attempt this feat in the foreseeable future [4].
The company Netcome has been part of the prestigious startup accelerator Y Combinator and has already raised $1 million in funding [2]. Moreover, it has found a way to test its market by inviting prospective customers to join a waiting list for $10,000, which they can get refunded if they change their mind. So far, 25 people have subscribed to the waiting list, including Sam Altman, one of the founders of Y Combinator [2]. But Netcome is not the only company working on mind uploading. In 2011, the 2045 Initiative was founded, which is an organization that wants to help humanity achieve immortality by 2045 by transferring someone’s personality into a new body [3].
Still, one big question arises: Is mind uploading even possible? Some people argue this should be possible in theory. If it would be possible to find a way to map the brain’s activity, scan the brain in detail and run gigantic simulations, it should be possible to recreate a person’s mind in a computer [3]. However, some people also argue that it is not possible [5].
Uploading our minds will definitely not be possible in the near future and it remains open whether it will be possible at all. However, it still is an interesting topic to debate about. Assuming mind uploading would work and we could obtain immortality by transferring our mind to another body, this would raise some ethical and philosophical questions, such as:
- Should we allow to do it? Do we want it?
- What do we do with “homeless” minds?
- Can we lose our right to have a body? Or can we sell or rent it?
- Should we attempt to reprogram brains?
I am curious about your opinion. Could you imagine such a thing becoming a reality? And what do you think would the implications of it be? What are aspects we would need to consider?
References
[1]: Lewis, T. (2013). The Singularity Is Near: Mind Uploading by 2045?. Retrieved from: https://www.livescience.com/37499-immortality-by-2045-conference.html
[2]: Regalado, A. (2018). A startup is pitching a mind-uploading service that is “100 percent fatal”. Retrieved from: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610456/a-startup-is-pitching-a-mind-uploading-service-that-is-100-percent-fatal/
[3]: Van Hooijdonk, R. (2018). In a future of mind uploading, will you still be you, and who will own your mind?. Retrieved from: https://richardvanhooijdonk.com/blog/en/in-a-future-of-mind-uploading-will-you-still-be-you-and-who-will-own-your-mind/
[4]: Letzter, R. (2018). Brain-Uploading Company Has No Immediate Plans to Upload Brains. Retrieved from: https://www.livescience.com/62212-nectome-grant-mit-founder.html
[5]: Elderkin, B. (2018). Will We Ever Be Able to Upload a Mind to a New Body?. Retrieved from: https://gizmodo.com/will-we-ever-be-able-to-upload-a-mind-to-a-new-body-1822622161
