By Josué Gomes
The creative capacity of human beings will reach levels never before seen in the history of the species' evolution once we begin to massively leverage the results of data processing delivered by artificial intelligence.
The volume of data and processing capacity are growing exponentially. Imagine the potential of this. More efficient aircraft designs in seconds, or new medicines that today sometimes require years of study — AI will be able to perform billions of calculations in seconds and deliver research results, or disease prevention insights, or improvements in cure rates by reading and delivering findings from research conducted worldwide, including performing meta-analyses of that research also in seconds, something unimaginable for a human. DNA mapping for disease prevention, government decisions, private company decisions, decisions for our personal lives, and judicial decisions — all guided by the analysis of billions or trillions of data points.
AI will be able to determine the best treatment for emotional issues (once human beings accept being treated by a machine) through psychological guidance with a high probability of matching the most appropriate words and tone of voice depending on our current state and emotional history — again through the analysis of billions or trillions of possibilities, mapping emotional chaos and its interactions, much like supercomputers already do today by analyzing real-time and historical data to generate the best possible weather forecast, for example.
Guidance on the most efficient study methods and school curricula according to the needs of human beings in the near and medium term, taking into account each country's role in the global landscape. In the long term, I believe it is nearly impossible to predict, at least for now, given the extremely high number of variables and their complex interactions.
Decisions about the future of the human race with regard to the preservation of nature and the exploration of other planets will also be informed by the analysis of vast volumes of real-time and historical data.
From the moment you free human beings to perform other tasks — less repetitive and more cognitive — with information of the highest quality, you will give us the opportunity to mobilize areas of the brain that until now have not been so widely used. This increases the number of synapses in the neocortex and, why not, leads us to consider the beginning of the formation of an outer layer, superimposed on the neocortex, over successive generations. It is worth remembering that the more layers the brain has, the greater its cognitive capacity. And this says nothing yet of the human-machine interface, which is already in an advanced stage of research.
It was only after these musings that I understood why Hollywood depicts extraterrestrial beings with advanced intelligence as having large heads and slender limbs. Of course — multiple new layers of neurons and the involution of limbs through disuse.
By Pedro Waengertner
This week, Elon Musk announced for the first time the details of the technology he has been developing with his near-secret startup, Neuralink. The premise is to implant neurotransmitters in humans, enabling them to control devices and computers using the capture of brainwaves.
Does it sound like science fiction? Well, Musk also announced plans to begin human trials by the end of 2020. Watch out, Ex Machina.
To insert these microelectrodes — thinner than strands of hair — in a minimally invasive manner, Neuralink is also developing robots for the surgical procedure, to be operated by neurosurgeons.
According to Musk, one of the initiative's objectives is to achieve a symbiosis with artificial intelligence, which he views as a threat to human capability. We have been aware of Neuralink since 2017, but until now nothing about its activities had been made public. The goal, it seems, is to help humans compete in a world that will be dominated by artificial intelligence. Elon Musk has already invested US$ 100 million in the venture.