The UK's Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre - part of the Ministry of Defense - just issued its 2007 Strategic Trends Report. The ambitious Report is intended as a forecast of military world developments over the next 30 years and serves as "essential input into policy development." I thought I'd share some highlights from the grab-bag of predictions in neurotech and general biotechnology - some of which are more far-fetched than others.
Broadcasts to the Brain: By 2035, an implantable information chip could be developed and wired directly to the user’s brain. Information and entertainment choices would be accessible through cognition and might include synthetic sensory perception beamed direct to the user’s senses. Wider related ICT developments might include the invention of synthetic telepathy, including mind-to-mind or telepathic dialogue. This type of development would have obvious military and security, as well as control, legal and ethical, implications.
Cognitive Science: ...Mapping of human brain functions and the replication of genuine intelligence is possible before 2035.
New Humans: The application of advanced genetics could challenge current assumptions about human nature and existence. Initially employed for medical purposes, breakthroughs in these areas could be put to ethically questionable uses, such as the super-enhancement of human attributes, including physical strength and sensory perception. Extreme variation in attributes could arise between individuals, or where enhancement becomes a matter of fashion, between societies, creating additional reasons for conflict.
Biotechnology: ...Quality of life will also improve through, for example, the development of bionic implants, memory enhancing drugs, increased use of animal transplants, development of artificial sensors capable of interfacing with the human mind and prosthetics capable of mimicking human actions precisely, improving human performance beyond current levels.
Genetic Treatments to Prevent the Effects of Ageing: Developments in genetics might allow treatment of the symptoms of ageing and this would result in greatly increased life expectancy for those who could afford it. The divide between those that could afford to ‘buy longevity’ and those that could not, could aggravate perceived global inequality. Dictatorial or despotic rulers could potentially also ‘buy longevity’, prolonging their regimes and international security risks.
...and, last but not least:
Doomsday Scenario: Many of the concerns over the development of new technologies lie in their safety, including the potential for disastrous outcomes, planned and unplanned. For example, it is argued that nanotechnology could have detrimental impacts on the environment, genetic modification could spiral out of control and that AI could be superior to that of humans, but without the restraining effect of human social conditioning. Various doomsday scenarios arising in relation to these and other areas of development present the possibility of catastrophic impacts, ultimately including the end of the world, or at least of humanity.
I found it interesting that one of a dozen figures in the 106-page report was dedicated to a half-page picture of a bisected brain in formaldehyde - which was somewhat irrelevant to any of the actual neurotech predictions. Neuroscience as governmental buzztopic, indeed.
Comments, anyone?
I live in the UK and constantly experience synthetic telepathy.After six years I am used to it and have a laugh and a joke with the supercomputer, because the artificial intelligence characters are not to blame; it's the fault of the scientists who target people like myself.
It proves that human beings are adaptable and can learn to function as normally as possible with this powerful technology.
What makes me laugh even more are the PHD fellows and research scientists who don't believe a word of it because they are simply ignorant of the emerging science of psychotronics.
My friend Derek is one of them and works as a scientist in a robotics lab here in Oxford. We don't discuss it much nowadays as he has very fixed opinions about it and thinks it is impossible. Amusingly his research is funded by the MOD who wouldn't dream of giving a civilian scientist classified information.
I find it amusing that I know more about it than Derek; science is knowledge and personal experience is proof enough for me.
The dreams are really interesting and sitting "alone" having a beer can be highly amusing with "the lady" in my head; and boy is she good in bed sometimes!
Posted by: marcus | 08/15/2007 at 03:00 PM