Live Forever.

Simply put, nanomachines are microscopic machines that will enhance us in almost every way imaginable. They’ll be able to help our immune system fight off diseases. They would create super soldiers. This technology is actually at the center of a great game series, Metal Gear Solid. This “hack” in our biological makeup will also increase our lifespans. Kurzweil imagines a future where biotechnology is so advanced that we will live forever. This is the same idea behind the song “Paradigm”. Lyrics include:

Engineer the wires to your brain

Architect a code so you won’t feel the pain

With your family by your side and vigor in your eyes forever

Live Forever

The song also raises the question of what it really means to be human. What do we become when we merge with machines? Will we lose what fundamentally makes us human? It can be argued that this “merge” is the next logical step in evolution, as there is no there is no evolutionary pressure for us to do so anymore. We’ll become, as Kurzweil puts it, “Godlike”.

I’m way up, a god in size

Beyond the reach of mortals I shed my human side

Father, O’ Father

I stare at my reflection, have I lost that boy inside?

Final paradigm

Expanding the brain’s neocortex will allow us, for example, to pose questions in our thoughts and know the answer almost immediately (most likely thanks to our direct “brain-to-Google” connection). We’ll always have witty jokes on hand, and learning Calculus will be as simple as purchasing downloadable content. Plug and play.

Besides swapping out failing body parts with prosthetics and enhancing our brains, there’s another way we’ll be able to gain immortality. Both Dr. Kaku and Kurzweil firmly believe that the advances in brain-computer interfaces will eventually allow us to upload our consciousness to machines.

This sounds pretty far out there, and it really is.

Scientists still have no clue how the brain works, how the billions of neurons form connections that result in learned behavior, or what dreaming is. But once these secrets are known (which might never actually happen) and we know how our brain functions, as well as what the “consciousness switch” is, the possibilities are endless. To get an idea of what’s possible, check out Black Mirror’s episode Playtest. The brain-computer interface for the game is so advanced that the player can’t distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t. I don’t want to spoil anything, but get ready for a mind fuck. Black Mirror does a great job of weaving technology with a dystopia that we might inhabit, showing a darker side of our society. It’s on Netflix, so check it out.