It is possible that you have already thought about recording or storing your dreams. Which would be… Now, imagine going beyond that and transferring your mind to a computer so it’s available when your body is no longer around. Well, we’ve been further.
On the platforms, there is no lack of series and films that explore the possibility of our mind staying alive, going beyond our physical body. The idea is, for many, tempting, as it is the hope of preserving what we were, after we cease to be.
The technological and scientific evolution that we have known brings us closer to scenarios that we considered chimerical, such as being able to transfer our mind to a computer, eternalizing it.
The theme, called mind uploadingis controversial and, alongside those who are excited about the possibility, there are those who believe that the brain is “embedded” and that the way it works depends on the relationship with the other parts of the body and with the environment in which it is inserted and with which it interacts.
How could we transfer something like the mind?
Angela Thornton from the University of Nottingham is currently exploring the extent to which people are aware of mind transfer. The doctoral student has tried to understand if they would like theirs to be sent to a computer or to another bodyas well as what the benefits and risks would be.
As he explained in an article for The Conversation, the most promising technique is scanning and copying. That is, scanning, in detail, the structure of a preserved brain, through electron microscopy, in order to gather the necessary data to produce a functional copy of the brain.
The process is highly complex, not least because we are talking about someone’s mind – something so abstract and unique. So what is the probability that one day we will be able to emulate the whole brain and transfer the mind to a computer?
The philosophical and scientific challenges of whole-brain emulation and mind-loading are actively debated by academics.
In 2008, a team of researchers at the University of Oxford described this process as a “formidable engineering and research problem”. Moreover, he shared that because it seems “a well-defined objective […] could be achieved through extrapolations of current technology”.
Over time, neurotechnology is gaining strength and relevance. For example, through brain-computer interfaces and brain implants, which companies are looking to release to society soon.
These developments, along with advances in Artificial Intelligence, are allowing us to better decipher brain waves. In the future, they may well allow us to “write for” or modify the brain.
Thornton explained, recalling that technological advancement will require the establishment of guidelines and legislation, the neurorightsin order to ensure the protection of human and, even more, neural rights.
We do not know how long it will take until it is possible to transfer the mind to a computer, since, before that, it will still be necessary to explore and achieve the emulation of the human brain and the subsequent “downloading” of the mind.
However, the idea is to be able to do so, so the investigation is moving forward in this direction…
Think about it: would you download your mind to a computer?
2023-06-30 15:00:07
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