by Ted Peters
“Thank you, Professor, for shedding light on that aspect of our work. Exciting stuff isn’t it?” stated Kidd, repossessing his role as discussion leader. “We plan to start our research with the human brain, but not stop there.”
Kidd had their attention. “You’ve heard the professor describing how nanotech can be used for improving physical health. If stem cell research leads to the regeneration of deteriorating organs and if nanobiotech increases physical capabilities, we can expect the human life span to increase dramatically. Perhaps we’ll live to be a thousand years old. Maybe longer. If old age or diseases no longer kill us, we just need to stay away from moving buses and avoid war to have eternal life. We call this radical life extension, or RLE.”
Chang offered a follow up. “Now, RLE in the West might simply mean more and more of what we’re used to. It might just mean more ski trips, graduate diplomas, and stints in the PTA. It could sound boring, unattractive. But, to us in the East, it could have a powerful cultural effect. We Chinese Confucianists and Taoists, for example, highly regard age. As a person grows older, his or her wisdom grows. In fact, his eternal spirit becomes more and more genuine and creative. Younger generations revere this and ritually celebrate their elders on their sixtieth birthday or eighty-eighth birthday. When these elders die, their wise spirits move to the next world and share their wisdom with struggling souls. So, I ask: why not keep these wise elders with us? If we keep the senior savants alive for a millennium, think of the growth in wisdom that will accrue to our entire civilization. With RLE, Asian culture might lead the world to a new level of appreciation and reverence for age.”
The group paused to digest what had just been said.
“If we are able to extend life to a thousand years as you say,” Bourne began slowly, “then what about the population of our planet? Will we have room for everyone to live this long? After all, people who die leave space for the next generation to have a place to live. We’ll run out of room on Earth, won’t we?”
“RLE is not for everybody,” said Khalid Neshat as he took the floor. “Remember that we believe evolution wants increased intelligence. We want to speed up the increase in intelligence. So, perhaps we should extend people’s lives selectively. Only those with an IQ above, say 150, would be encouraged to live these long lives. We might find a way to shorten if not eliminate the lives of the masses of average people, those with lower IQs. Perhaps we have to face it: some people deserve to live on this planet, while the others....?” Neshat just quit speaking as he shrugged his shoulders.
The room was silent.
Chapter 6
Taipei
“Let’s get back to the brain,” said Bourne. “That’s my field. So, Mr. Kidd, where do I fit in here? I can do brain surgery. That’s simple. But, what else?”
The expression on Kidd’s face communicated a sense of gratitude for the opportunity to finally say what he had originally wanted to say. He coughed briefly into his hand.
“We believe IA will come in two phases. Phase One will combine memory augmentation with increased computational capacity. Then, in Phase Two enhancement of our capacity to reason should follow. After all, reasoning consists of rearranging our memories and computing connections. If we have a full inventory of complex data available to our memory, we will be able to assemble the parts to create whole new concepts.”
“Are you sure this is what constitutes human intelligence, Mr. Kidd?” quizzed Bourne. “Doesn’t intelligence require insight, something beyond computation?”
“Please let me continue,” said Kidd. “We’re here today because we are about to enter clinical trials on memory enhancement. Mr. Chang…Lionel…has engineered our first memory enhancement implant. Lionel, perhaps you could explain what comes next.”
“The implant is a micro-chip smaller than a watch battery,” said Chang, making eye contact with each individual around the table, including Lilly Yang. “We’ve been working on the circuitry for two years now, and we believe we have it right. Our plan is to implant this chip in the human brain. The chip’s memory will contain more information than Wikipedia and Google Search combined. The chip will be so wired into the brain that certain thought cues will activate it. Once activated, the person will be able to quiz his mental encyclopedia and receive an informative answer almost instantly. It will provide a sensation similar to reading, but this will be strictly an invisible mental reading. In conscious conversation, a person with our chip implant will be able to access an enormous library of data.”
“What will this do to established memories, the ones we’ve developed through life experience?” Louchakova asked Chang, picking up on Bourne’s hint of skepticism.
Kidd interjected, “Our established memories won’t go away, at least not right away. Our memories are kinda like a deposit in a savings account. If we don’t withdraw anything, the money’s still there. We might even make some new deposits from time to time. However, the chip memory will contain invented life experiences and integrate them into its encyclopedic knowledge bank. The person with the chip will be unable to distinguish between actual past experiences and the ones we have added. The two sets of remembered experiences will grow together for a brief period. But then, quickly, the chip memory will grow so powerful that, well frankly, our natural memories will atrophy from diminished usage. The chip recipient will become a different person, the one we have pre-programmed. But, so be it! It’s not unlike trading in an old Ford for a new Lexus.”
Chapter 7
Taipei
Leona taxied to the Manka district in Taipei, arriving at the Lungshan Temple late in the morning. As she walked through the main gate she looked up at the near tropical sun. Her eyes also caught the symbol of the sun on the temple roof: two celestial dragons playing with a large red ball.
The sun was unusually intense for a late spring morning and there was little shade in the open area outside the temple. Leona sauntered toward the forty-foot waterfall to the right of the main gate. The wafting spray provided a pleasant cooling effect on her face and on her bare legs below the bottom of her shorts.
Leona checked her watch. Eleven-twenty. No sign yet of Katia. Pious Buddhists and Taoists bustled past her, most entering rather than departing the fore hall through the right front door, nicknamed the dragon’s mouth.
Eager to meet this new “friend,” yet appreciating that her often-impatient self was not anxious, she decided to check her voice mail. One message from Gerhart Holthusen, Director of the CIA, calling from his office in Washington, D.C. All she heard was, “Have a good day, Lee.” Nothing from Graham.
Shortly after half past the hour, Leona heard a soft voice hesitantly calling, “Leona?” It was the voice of Katia Rui. At five feet and less than a hundred pounds, the slender Katia was petite by Western standards. Her short dark hair framed an expressive face with a gently jutting jaw. She walked comfortably in high heels wearing a yellow flowered sun dress. She smiled at Leona with a smile that communicated a genuine warmth and eagerness to meet her.
“Katia?” exclaimed Leona, turning to give the newcomer her undivided attention.
“Yes, I’m Katia. Sorry to be late,” spoke the Chinese woman. “A last minute matter at the office.”
“It’s been pleasant here. No problem. I’m just glad we could meet.”
“I have something to do here. It won’t take long. You might even find this place interesting. In a few minutes we’ll catch some lunch and get down to business. Please, come with me.”
The two women marched through the dragon’s door into the fore hall, a roofless courtyard. Worshippers ambulating with hands folded and holding burning incense sticks walked to and fro. Smoke from sensors hung like a low cloud above tables of offerings, offerings of fruit and packaged food. Leona’s nose caught the fragrance of freshly cut flowers mixed with the wafting fumes of glowing incense.
“Although the temple has been located here for nearly three centuries,” lectured Katia. “This ornate building
was completed in 1924. The main hall with the roof in the center is dedicated to the bodhisattva Quan Yin. Legend has it that Quan Yin practiced sincere spiritual discipline and approached the door of salvation. She was holding her emptywater bottle. The Buddha told her that with each act of self-renunciation, drops of water would begin to fill her bottle. When the bottle became completely full, she would then be admitted to Buddhahood. However, a drought occurred in China. People were dying of thirst. It was an emergency. So, Quan Yin offered the people drink from her bottle, depleting her own supply and depriving herself of Buddhahood. Today we think of her as a goddess of grace.”
“What are these people with folded hands and incense praying for?” asked Leona.
“They pray for what people all over the world pray for,” said Katia with a slight tone of impatience.
“Well, just what do you think people pray for?”
With a puzzled almost perturbed expression, Katia proceeded to say, “They pray for wealth and good health and the success of their children. What else?”
“I was just wondering,” said Leona wishing to drop the subject.
Chapter 8
Taipei
“I have a question.” The group turned to give the Persian their attention. “Look at the modern Wikipedia or even the old Encyclopedia Britannica for that matter. It’s out of date the day it’s published. Information is exploding, constantly. Even if our brain with an implant can access this encyclopedia, we could be accessing out-of-date data. So...”
Chang smiled. “What I’m going to say next will speak to your question, Mr. Neshat. And more. You’re right. Whatever data we place into the chip memory prior to implantation will be finite and limited in many respects, regardless of the quantity. Even if it’s the most up-to-date, it will quickly become out-of-date. So, let me ask: might there be a way of updating the chip? The answer to that question is: yes, indeed.”
“How? Plug it into my computer and download updates?” asked Neshat with a sarcastic grin.
“We’ve got a much better method,” said Chang with a note of glee in his voice. “The chip includes a two way radio signal linked directly to a geosynchronous satellite. We at TaiCom will periodically send new material for each chip to download. The data library will grow constantly. Previous information thought to be erroneous will be erased and replaced with what is new and accurate.”
All eyes lit up: a few chins scrunched slightly upward forcing the lower lip to protude, signaling both delight and approval. Lilly took this moment to offer another round of hot tea. She respectfully walked around the table and refilled each person’s porcelain cup.
“Dis is ingenious idea,” said Olga; “but just how you plan for dis implant to integrate with human brain? One thing to have implant. Another to make connections.”
“This is very complex, as you can imagine.” Buzz Kidd spoke. “Recall what we said earlier about nanobiotech. We will obtain a sample of the recipient’s DNA. This DNA will be integrated into the chip’s circuitry. Certain genes will be turned on or off by nano-switches. Once the chip is surgically implanted, the chip will itself become a tissue in the person’s body. Gradually, with just the right genes turned on, a new set of nerves will grow that connects the chip with the targeted regions of the brain. We will target especially the hippocampus and the pre-frontal cortex, the hippocampus for long term memory and the pre-frontal cortex for rational thought.”
The expression on Olga’s face turned from curiosity to puzzlement.
“Really?” she paused in thought. “Wait one minute. What about short-term memory? Individual memory occurs in region of brain affected by sensation, where originally perceived. If I look at you and see you, for example, my visual cortex and neural structures involved in dis sensation of seeing remain active for several seconds. Short-term memory can involve parts of the brain other than hippocampus, maybe even entire brain. You forgetting dis?”
Kidd continued. “No, of course, not. We focus on the hippo because it collects what’s happening elsewhere in the brain. Sensations—sights, sounds, scents, touches, spatial location—all register in the hippo. It collects and connects these sensations, establishing networks of memory and trains of synthetic thought. The long-term memory is formed in the hippo; and this long-term memory is needed for enhancing rational thought, for making us smarter. So, the hippocampus becomes our main region of concern.”
“But, if I may object, what about working memory? Working memory takes place in pre-frontal cortex, not hippocampus. We can keep only four to seven items of memory active for quick reference; and dis takes place...” She pointed her finger to her forehead and tapped.
“Ah, yes,” responded Kidd. “Did I mention that the pre-frontal cortex is our second target? Here we find the brain’s executive function: planning, problem solving, and such tasks. The interaction between the hippo and the pre-frontal cortex is what we’re trying to augment, or amplify, or control.”
“So why you keep all this secret from me, Mister Buzz. I see you back in California, and you never say nothing about such project.”
“Well, my friend, I wanted to surprise you, and Mr. Chang here wanted me to keep it hush-hush until today.”
“Well, that’s all good to hear. Still, there’s so much more,” insisted Bourne, shifting the conversation to the group. “What we think of as the rational capacity emerging from brain activity includes unknown interactions between the pre-frontal cortex and the insula for emotional salience in decision-making or the anterior cingulate cortex for cautions and inhibitions and such. Then, there’s the amygdala. I... Oh, never mind. I’m willing to provide the surgical procedure, but I’m not sure you can accomplish everything you’re planning.”
“Actually,” said Chang addressing the group, “this is why we invited Dr. Bourne here. At our invitation she has already developed the appropriate surgical procedure for us. In fact, she has provided us with a prototype.”
“I have?” Bourne’s eyes opened wide with a touch of surprise.
Chang continued. “We expect this to be a very minor in-office procedure with only a local anesthetic. A small incision would be cut just behind the right ear. The chip would be implanted and the incision closed. While healing takes place, the chip’s nano-programmed DNA will precipitate cell growth and establish a new neural circuitry that connects the chip with the targeted regions of the brain. We expect this growth process to take two to three days. To be safe, four. After four days we will activate the chip and train the recipient on its use. Doctor Bourne already completed a first implantation surgery on one selected recipient to help establish the best practice. Once we have confirmed its efficacy, we’ll package it and distribute it to the medical clinics we designate to perform implantation surgery.”
“I was not aware that the simple procedure I performed would have such far-reaching effects. I am amazed, actually, and excited by the prospects,” Bourne stated in a tone that moved from doubt to assurance.
Louchakova nodded. “I see. I presume reason you obtain DNA sample in advance is you avoid immune rejection after implantation, right?”
“Yes,” said Chang. “And More. We need to trigger exactly the right genes for neuronal growth. That’s how we make each chip patient-specific.”
Bourne mumbled for all to hear, “Yes, this what we have begun to experiment with.”
Louchakova continued her interrogation. “I suppose chip shape hard, fixed, unbendable. Means you must limit application to adults whose crania are already at maximum growth, right?”
“No,” responded the surgeon. “The chips are flexible. Rather than covalent bonds, we use hydrogen bonds. The polymer chips can change shape within the brain without compromising their conductivity. We could, if appropriate, place one in the brain of a child and it would, in principle, remain operative for the child’s entire life.”
Then Louchakova spoke a bit more loudly. “But, I still have theoretical problems. You first talking about intelligence amplificat
ion, IA. Now, I listen to you—and I think you offer ingenious technique. Make no mistake, very exciting. But I not see how dis relates to Phase Two. Don’t see how amplified access to data has any effect on intelligence per se.”
“One step at a time,” interjected Professor Blair. “If I have understood Mr. Chang and Mr. Kidd correctly, today we’re only working on Phase One. Once we’ve successfully increased mental access to data, we can then take direct steps toward IA. Here is the big assumption we Transhumanists make: the human mind is an information pattern. It’s exactly like software in a computer. Imagine that our physical brain is the hardware. Then, our mind is the software. We know how to track and duplicate computer software. By the time we get to Phase Two, we will be able to copy a given person’s information pattern, duplicate it, manipulate it, and—using this chip technology—enhance it. Once we have amplified the intelligence of a number of individuals, they will collectively take over the process and design the next stage of IA. Our present generation can then step out of the picture. Amplified intelligence will continue to amplify and amplify and amplify. It won’t be long before we will have given birth to a new species, a posthuman species of cyborg intelligences that surpasses what we’ve ever seen before.”
“Gentlemen!” Bourne’s voice intoned both impatience as well as professional authority. “Louchakova’s doubts are worth listening to. I’m a brain surgeon. I’ve taken apart and put back together brain after brain on the operating table. And, I need to say frankly, I just don’t know what intelligence is. Now, this is not because I’m stupid. It’s because human intelligence is a mystery. To liken the human mind to the information pattern in computer software fails to comprehend this mystery. The mind does all kinds of things that go way beyond mere manipulation of information. Insights, for example, are creative leaps in understanding that leave data in the dust. The mind analyzes and synthesizes and imagines whole new realities. Something’s missing in your assumptions. Where do you place the human soul?”
