The transhuman condition
New Zealand Listener|May 21 - 27, 2022
Exponential growth in key technologies could help us live longer, beat disease and become superintelligent. But can we keep our humanity in the process?
PETER GRIFFIN
The transhuman condition

One of the last overseas trips I undertook before Covid-19 shut our borders was to San Francisco to watch a supercomputer take on one of the world’s top debaters. Hundreds of us sat in an auditorium watching on as debate champion Harish Natarajan took to the stage across from a rectangular blue screen, IBM’s Project Debater. Both human and machine were given 15 minutes to prepare to debate whether preschool education should be subsidised.

While Natarajan scribbled down some notes, Project Debater’s massive brain trawled millions of newspaper articles and Wikipedia entries related to the topic. The machine’s comments in favour of the resolution, delivered in a measured female voice, were coherent, factual and compelling.

Natarajan ultimately won the debate by audience vote, with a more, well, human performance. His wit and emotion beat out logic and facts. But the spectacle was a reminder of how far artificial intelligence has come since IBM’s Deep Blue supercomputer outplayed Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match in May 1997.

In research labs around the world, teams of scientists are making important advances towards developing artificial general intelligence (AGI). If achieved, this wouldn’t just make it easier for us to converse with information-dispensing machines, a sort of supercharged Siri or Alexa, but allow AI systems to think like we do, tackling complex, wide-ranging problems, learning as they go.

With the advent of AGI, it becomes more efficient to outsource much of our problem-solving to the machines, as our human capabilities are rendered increasingly inferior. A parallel field of research in brain-machine interfaces could allow us to use that superintelligence to augment our own brain functions.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024