Project Vision 21

A recent report (August 29) published by the University of California at San Diego reveals that biologists from that university have managed to develop laboratory mini brains that, after a few months of growth, already have their own functional neural networks. And that is just the beginning of the creation of complete human brains.

The full report, in the most recent issue of the specialized journal Cell Stem Cell, explains that the mini brains in question, fully gestated outside any association with a human body, develop brain waves similar to those of babies in gestation.

The goal, according to the researchers in charge of the experiment, is that these brain organoids eventually develop “sophisticated” neural networks, that is, mature and interconnected. By understanding how this development occurs, scientists could "model" new human brains, for example, by eliminating diseases and accelerating the brain’s evolution,

In that context, the true goal of these studies is to connect the human brain with artificial intelligence, something that both Neuralink (Elon Musk) and Facebook recently announced separately, indicating they are already doing it, in the early stages.

This is not science fiction. Neuralink confirmed a few days ago (August 31) that it is developing a "brain implant" to connect the brain directly to a computer. And Facebook said it plans to create a device that can "read" people's minds so that people can send information "just by thinking."

Given the almost imminent possibility of human brains redesigned in a laboratory (therefore, without diseases and more evolved) will be connected with a global artificial intelligence, everything we are now and have is obsolete and primitive. And all science fiction seems to be an unimaginative children's story.

In short, those who want to increase their brain capacity and have the means to do so (such as the super billionaires of the technological world) can receive implants of “organic” brains (perhaps as many as they want) and at the same time connect them with the artificial intelligence of their own creation, the same artificial intelligence that controls more and more of our life every day.

Although this situation of adding new brains to those we already have and then connecting them with artificial intelligence doesn’t yet exist -that is, we are told that it does not exist today-, official reports indicate that this is the direction of progress of current research, with highly promising results.

Transhumanism is, it seems, just around the corner, perhaps in 2029, as Ray Kurzweil anticipated several times. Or, to say it differently, the almost indefinite extension of biological existence and digital immortality could be real in ten years. If that happens, why does Silicon Valley want to read our thoughts?

The answer is obvious: to control them, as it is the case today, to the point that we are distressed if we do not receive all the “Likes” we expected. But why do they want to control our thoughts? Perhaps to avoid getting bored. But that is another issue to be explored later.