Digital Immortality

I'm cashing out and going virtual!?

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, people of the Internet. I cannot thank you enough
for listening. It's time for another episode of the Hypothetical
Situations podcast, a show dedicated to just about anything, hypothetically speaking.
That is today's episode. We're going to dive into the

(00:20):
fascinating topic of digital immortality. We could live forever through
technology hypothetically, that is, scanning a human brain at a
neural level and transferring the data into a digital medium

(00:47):
known as mind Uploading could be done using brain computer interfaces,
high resolution MRI scans, or their nanoscale neural mapping. You

(01:08):
could also emulate the brain rather than just copying the
mind emulation seeks to recreate all neural activity in real time,
allowing for seamless continuation of consciousness. Instead of copying or

(01:32):
emulating a biological brain, AI synthesis involves training and advanced
AI to behave identically to a specific individual based on
their memories, behaviors, and personality. Some propose a gradual transition

(01:58):
where a person and incrementally replaces brain functions with digital equivalents.
Where it's already happening. We just wear our digital equivalents
on the outside, similar to how prosthetics replace limbs today,

(02:19):
there's going to be some hardware required. Quantum computing will
be necessary for high speed, low energy processing of complex
neural structures. Neuromorphic chips are designed to function like human neurons,

(02:41):
allowing more organic and efficient processing of thought. The human
mind is going to need a lot of terabytes. We'll
need super massive data storage. A single human brain is
estimated to hold up to two point five peta bytes.

(03:06):
I've never even heard of that before. Immortal beings would
require exa bites or even zeta bytes. We're out of
letters in the alphabet, and over time, you're going to
have to store that someplace. Should a digital mind reside

(03:28):
in a centralized cloud, this would surely raise concerns about
ownership or control, or is your mind on your own
personal physical server. With the human mind, security and data

(03:49):
integrity would be paramount. There would need to be redundancy
systems to prevent corruption data corruption. Multiple copies of a
digital mind must exist across different secure locations. Digital rule

(04:09):
number one. It doesn't exist unless it's in two places.
Protecting digital beings from cybertax means encryption and firewalls. This
would prevent memory theft or personality overwrites. AI driven software

(04:32):
could detect, isolate, and repair damage or other hacking attempts.
There are multitudes of philosophical and ethical questions. Is a
digitally uploaded consciousness truly you or just a sophisticated copy.

(04:55):
If multiple copies exist, which one is the real person?
Would a digital self experience reality the same way as
a biological self? Should digital beings have the right to

(05:16):
end their existence or are they forced to live forever?
Can a digital person consent to memory edits? Next, let's
compare the consciousness versus simulation. Could a digital mind be

(05:42):
truly self aware or would it simply be a simulation
without subjective experience. Would a digital being have emotions and
sensory experience or would those just be artificially generated? Surely

(06:11):
there are legal and political implications citizenship and other legal rights.
Would digital beings be considered citizens with rights equal to
biological humans? Would they have the right to own property

(06:37):
their own hard drive, for example, vote or enter legal contracts.
How would laws against homicide apply to deleting a digital mind?
And what happens to inheritance and wealth accumulation? If digital

(07:00):
minds never die, should they be allowed to continuously accumulate wealth.
Would laws need to limit financial dominance by immortal individuals?
Would there be digital prisons? Can a digital mind even

(07:26):
be jailed? Could law enforcement impose forced rewrites or memory
erasure as punishment? Digital immortality would surely cause social and
other cultural shifts. What of relationships between digital and biological beings?

(07:56):
Would physical humans form romantic relationships with digital beings? And
how would friendships, marriages, and social bonds change when one
party is immortal. Would an infinite lifespan lead to mental

(08:19):
exhaustion or apathy? And how would digital beings find a
purpose when they cannot die? All psychological effects of immortality,
There would surely be new digital societies. Digital minds would

(08:41):
form their own separate communities and governments. Would they be
considered superior to biological humans? There would be economic and
workforce disruptions. If if a digital mind can work twenty

(09:03):
four to seven, would they replace human workers entirely? Human
workers may become obsolete. New jobs would truly emerge as well?
And what of digital real estate? Where do digital beings

(09:25):
live in a virtual city or a dedicated server farm?
Would digital real estate become a valuable commodity? Digital immortality
would lead to further creative evolution. Immortal musicians, artists, and

(09:52):
writers could continue producing their works indefinitely. Would cultural evolution
slow down if the same create dominated for centuries? How
would culture evolve when people don't die to make way
for new perspectives? There is a nostalgia paradox. Unfortunately, that's

(10:21):
all the time we have for today's episode of Hypothetical Situations.
I can't thank you enough for listening, and until next time,