Beyond Flesh: The Ethical Dilemmas of Digital Immortality and Biological Computing

The world of science often sounds like science fiction, and with each new frontier comes a cascade of ethical questions. The human body is a marvel, a product of billions of years of evolution, creating a being so fiercely intelligent that it reigns as an apex predator. We, as the human race, place ourselves at the pinnacle of ethical and moral concerns, acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Despite this self-appointed position, we continually debate where to draw the line when it comes to self-evolution through the technology we create.

For years in the U.S., and even today, many have questioned the legitimacy of using stem cells from aborted tissues to heal the sick. We can grow tissue in labs to replace damaged organs, and we can rewrite someone's RNA to give them a fighting chance against the worst diseases. Every day, humanity becomes more godlike in our ability to understand and alter the malleability of the human body. But what if the thing that makes us human can be so augmented that we become a whole new species altogether?

Imagine a server farm composed of connected human brains. It sounds horrifying, right? Yet, we aren't that far off. There are companies right now that will sell you tiny organic robots that are more energy-efficient than a modern-day processor. These tiny robotic organisms, made from brain tissue, are used in a process called wetwork computing, a cross between AI and electrophysiology.

Many fear AI taking over because it operates in a black box, making it difficult to understand what's happening under the hood. However, I argue that when we can scan a person's brain and create a digital copy of that person, it will be far scarier. As we advance, brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and technologies like Neuralink will be at the forefront of this self-evolution.

The ability to copy physical information in its entirety and transfer it to a digital format would represent the pinnacle of self-evolution. This technological breakthrough could fundamentally alter our understanding of identity, consciousness, and the human experience, allowing us to transcend the limitations of our physical forms.

Imagine waking up suddenly in a strange place, surrounded by unfamiliar settings, encased in a mechanical body that you don't recognize as your own. You still have all your memories from growing up, the knowledge you gained in school, and the emotional connections to your loved ones. Until this morning, you were in your natural, flesh-and-blood body. Dazed and confused, you ask the person holding the clipboard, "What's happening?" They inform you that you are a copy of a real person who has signed away their likeness. You are now a drone in a warehouse, forced to perform the same task 20 hours a day without pay because you are considered property, no longer a person.

This may become a reality in the next 20 years through a process called uploaded intelligence. This scenario is reminiscent of the show Upload on Amazon Prime Video. However, instead of a serene digital afterlife for those who have lived full lives, capitalism has twisted this technology into a horrifying reality.

The human mind has a breaking point, a limit that many have encountered through dealing with trauma, extreme stress, or chemical imbalances that make tough situations harder to bear. Uploaded intelligence might face similar pitfalls but with a sinister twist: a reset button. When this uploaded intelligence reaches its breaking point, the facility staff can simply reset the UI back to the first day it was brought online, erasing any progress or adaptation it might have made but making it perfect for entry-level manual tasks.

Believe it or not, human beings are still among the best processors of information on the planet. Our DNA can store a vast amount of information in a remarkably small space. A single gram of DNA can hold up to 215 petabytes of data, equivalent to 220,160 terabytes. To put this into perspective, this amount of data could fit in a container the size of a couple of pickup trucks and potentially store every piece of information humans have ever recorded.

If you want to talk about processing data, biological processors are already available. Computer chips filled with brain spheroids, which act as tiny brains, process information with lower energy consumption than the most energy-efficient microchips. This blending of biology and technology is pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve, making our future both fascinating and ethically complex.

The merging of biological systems and digital technology is not just a theoretical possibility but an emerging reality. Our DNA's capacity to store immense amounts of data and the advent of biological processors exemplify the incredible potential of this new frontier. However, as we stand on the brink of these groundbreaking advancements, we must also navigate the ethical and moral implications they bring. The prospect of uploading human intelligence and creating digital copies of ourselves challenges our understanding of identity, consciousness, and personhood. As we continue to explore and develop these technologies, it is crucial that we proceed with caution, ensuring that our pursuit of self-evolution does not compromise the very essence of what makes us human. The future holds extraordinary possibilities, but it is up to us to shape it responsibly.