Savant World

We have all heard stories about people who can remember every detail of their life, and some who can even perform superhuman feats such as learn a language in a week, solve extremely complex mathematical problems, or recite passages from an array of literature, a la Dustin Hoffman in Rainman. These cases are however very far and few in between, making them extraordinary in their own right. With brain-enhancement advanced technologies, artificial consciousnesses (AC's) (and mind clones) to be developed within the next few decades, it may be possible that we will be living in a world of "savants."

I use the term savant, not necessarily in the traditional, biological nature, but rather for beings who can seamlessly harness the vast array of human knowledge through the internet and who can use technological cognitive enhancers to perform seemingly impossibly complex functions internally.

Take for example, there are people living today who have the natural ability to remember nearly every moment of their life. We call it photographic memory. It may not be too long before this ability will be common amongst people. I see two ways of this occurring.

The first way is through advanced lifelogging technology, as I've discussed before, in which every moment of one's life is digitally archived on computers. Along with the visual and audio archiving, thoughts and sensual experiences (however detailed) are also archived through brain-machine technology that monitors brain impulses. By syncing this information with the video and audio, this allows entire moments, not just images and movements, to be captured. Some method of digital recall will be implemented in the form of brain-machine devices connected to retinal-implants that allow one to switch from biological sight to "digital sight." The basic technologies for this recall are already being implemented. Microchips will presumably be able to replace natural light with digital images or create an augmented reality while a brain implant will trick the sense receptors into sensing the archived sensual information.

The other way for a photographic memory to become common in humans is through a more conventional means. That is through medical technology, such as cognitive enhancers and possibly neural-altering surgery. As medical technology advances, I expect cognitive enhancers to become increasingly common and may lead to an intelligence boom as more people expand their cognitive capabilities. I see the surgery prospect less plausible, as it would require a "miracle" breakthrough in the understanding of the brain to enhance cognitive function enough to the point that people will be willing to have brain surgery for it. It would also require a stunt in the growth of cognitive enhancers, which I see as unlikely.

Of course extreme cognitive enhancements will have an effect on the very nature of identity. Our definition and current understanding of identity may need to be rewritten once we achieve these abilities. Identity itself is built on the understanding of the world around us and our internal thoughts. Once we have a higher understanding of the world around us and have higher mental capabilities in which our thoughts are born, we will thus have dramatically altered the very nature of human identity. Identity is created through our cognitive ability. By my count, there are five elements of cognitive function, in which each one has its own impact on our identities. They are:
1) Technical processing (i.e. mathematics, engineering)
2) Abstract facts (i.e. historical dates, political events)
3) Abstract thought (i.e. ideologies, opinions)
4) Memory (i.e. personal events, world events)
5) Emotions (i.e. happiness, sadness)

Of these five elements, most of them are related. For example, emotions are generally influenced and thus defined by memories. It may be that once we have more control over our memories, we will thus have more control over our emotions. Our emotions may just be the mind's attempt to scrap pieces of memories together to make sense of the present, causing us to act and feel certain ways. Additionally, abstract thought is fundamentally the merger of memory, abstract facts, technical processing, and possibly emotions. These relations could go on, however the five elements are fundamentally different in their respective rights.

Transhumanism is often described as the point when humans become post-human, i.e. human 2.0. While I believe human 3.0 is when we become fully mechanical, implementing mind cloning technologies and AC's, I believe that 2.0 will only be achieved once all five cognitive elements are technologically enhanced. As I described earlier, memory will be dramatically altered this century with archiving technologies. Emotions will not be too difficult to alter, as we already have "mood drugs," and paired with memory enhancements, these will also be controllable.

Technical processing is another obstacle which poses not too big of a problem. Cognitive enhancers from medical technology will greatly improve technical processing, and eventually brain implants will ave the ability to speed up our brain's processing power.

Abstract facts are, in my opinion, going to be dealt with through seamless interaction with the internet. As we now can sit at a desktop, laptop, or smart phone and search the internet for facts, in a few decades we will have this ability wired directly to our brains. Possibly through brain-machine devices that read one's questions (through brain waves) and relay the answers either through retinal microchips or audio, facts will become easily attainable. Paired with memory enhancers, people will not forget or disregard these facts right after using them, as some argue people (particularly students) are doing now, thus making them dumber. Instead, people will be able to recall these facts even more seamlessly at later times from their memory.

Abstract thought, to me, is the last domino in the row. With enhancements in the other four elements, one will have more resources and processing power to create personal opinions, beliefs, and ideologies.

All of these technologies and prospects have been about enhancing our biological beings, yet I believe that we will possibly first see these functions being achieved by AC's, or mind clones. These beings will undoubtedly have the upper hand in terms of technical processing, abstracts facts, and memories soon after their development. It is abstract thought and emotions in which it may take a while longer before they can perform them as well as humans.

In the virtual environment in which the AC's will live, we may be able to control evolution towards achieving emotion and abstract thought rather quickly. In other words, we could favor the AC's that show signs of emotions and abstract thought, while destroying or not interacting with those that don't display these qualities. Thus, these qualities may be achievable if we understand how to correctly speed up artificial evolution.

Identity will undoubtedly be redefined, both for humans 2.0 and for AC's. Instead of thinking we know who we are and what we know, we will "know" who we are and what we know. In other words, our lives will be much more purpose-driven, detailed, and structured, rather than oblivious and unsure.