Perfect Robot or Perfect Human or Both.....Wait are they the same?
So how many of you out there think about evolution? What is next? Are we engineering the evolution process? Will nature win over human efforts towards evolution? Don't get me wrong. I am all about the journey and not so much about the destination. Que será, será. We will get somewhere, somehow in our lifetimes. Willingly or forcefully. Knowingly or Unknowingly. But I also love being analytical. I love thinking about all the different permutations and combinations, putting the pieces together and taking them apart.
I have to admit something though. My inspiration for this post not only comes from the scientific research (links provided at the end) but also from two of my all time favorite science fiction movies. Matrix and Gattaca. If you like science fiction but have not seen these movies, please make it a priority and check them out.
When I think about human efforts towards evolution, I broadly put them in two buckets:
- Robots and Artificial Intelligence: The goal is to engineer intelligence of non human form. This form can think and reason like human, has cognitive abilities, looks like humans.
- Genetic Engineering: The goal is to engineer a perfect human form whatever that maybe. This form is most likely highly intelligent, physically strong, immune to disease and aging.
Take a pause and compare the two sides. What does one have and the other lacks? What would distinguish a perfect robot from a perfect human as we continue making progress in both areas? Where does one begin and the other ends?
Don't be alarmed my dear readers. As I said in the beginning, it is all about the journey. And I hope the journey is filled with new discoveries and enlightenment for all of you!
Links to some of the ongoing scientific research
Chinese scientists experiment with human embryos
A very human like Japanese robot