Tech industry leaders, including Elon Musk, foresee an increasing convergence between humans and machines in the coming decades. Musk envisions a symbiotic merger of humans with artificial intelligence (AI) through his company, Neuralink, aiming to prevent humans from being left behind in the face of advancing technology.
Elon Musk's vision aligns with the concept of transhumanism, a belief that advocates using science and technology to significantly enhance human capabilities, guiding our own evolutionary path. The goals include ending diseases, aging, and death, while augmenting cognitive, emotional, and physical capacities.
Transhumanists aim for the three "supers" of superintelligence, superlongevity, and superhappiness, seeking ways to achieve lasting happiness. Views within the transhumanist community vary, from uploading minds into digital forms to settling the cosmos, to remaining organic beings but enhancing biology through genetic engineering.
Despite sounding futuristic, developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic biology prompt discussions about the potential realization of transhumanist ideals. Tech billionaires, such as those leading companies like OpenAI, DeepMind, and Anthropic, play a significant role in promoting transhumanist thinking, considering the monumental impact they could have in shaping humanity's future.
Creating artificial general intelligence (AGI), an AI system that can perform all cognitive tasks a human can and more, is a current focus in Silicon Valley. However, concerns about AGI development leading to human extinction have been raised.
While promises and perils of AGI are debated, AI's impact on society is already evident. It fuels political polarization and contributes to social and environmental harm. Some argue that the focus on potential "safety" issues diverts attention from real-world injustices, allowing companies to benefit from a regulatory framework that prioritizes hypothetical risks.
Transhumanism, seen as a grandiose narrative offering a utopian future, may distract from the pressing issues of our time, including the sixth mass extinction and climate crisis. The question arises: Whose future will be transhuman? Critics argue that transhumanism, if developed within existing societal contexts, could exacerbate inequality and have catastrophic consequences for the majority.
As the prospect of an enhanced version of humanity looms, it becomes crucial to question what being human should mean and what true enhancement entails. The narrative of transhumanism raises fundamental questions about humanity's relationship with nature, the environment, and the ethical responsibilities associated with enhancing our existence.
If humans aspire to a god-like role, claiming dominion over nature and the body, the enhancement is driven by personal desires. However, if humans acknowledge their place as animals within complex relations with other species and nature, enhancement becomes contingent on the health and sustainability of these relations.
In the face of an uncertain future, the need for a responsible approach to transhumanism becomes evident — one that prioritizes compassion, awareness of other life forms, and sustainability over the pursuit of technological transcendence at the expense of the planet and its inhabitants.
