Page 32 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - February 2014 Edition

The 2045 Initiative Russian Billionaire it through, and has an impressive cast of experts This is the biggest issue I've found with Dmitry Itskov Plans on on board. He's even met the Dalai Lama and Itskov’s current model: he has completely gotten his blessing for Initiative 2045. ignored our Internet obsession. If we could “We are facing the time where the Becoming Immortal by unconscious evolution period has almost implant the web into our brain and download skills, Matrix-style, we would. For good or bad, 2045 finished, and we come to the new era, a new that's an area that can't be ignored. (For one, From Vice period of controlled evolution,” says Itskov in a Itskov would probably get more support if he reached out to Google and tried to incorporate video interview. His future, that “new period of Google Glass into his avatars.) Dmitry Itskov wants to live forever. The 32- controlled evolution,” goes something like this: Another curious omission is with the year-old Russian billionaire and media mogul By 2020, Initiative 2045 aims to make groups Itskov is currently working with: he's thinks he can do this by building himself (and this avatar technology widely available and focused on transhumanists and philosophers, everyone) an android body by the year 2045. mainstream—never mind that’s seven years but as yet he doesn't seem to have tapped into There are a few flaws to Itskov’s idea, from now and a working prototype doesn’t exist the hacker world. There are a whole lot of but that hasn’t stopped more than 20,000 people yet. people out there interested in mind hacking, and from publicly supporting the site outlining his By 2025, Itskov expects an Initiative 2045 appears to be one of the first plan of using android bodies for immortality. “autonomous life-support system for the human broad attempts at driving into that realm. Dubbed the 2045 Initiative, Itskov is selling his brain linked to a robot." In other words, they'll The main antagonist in the idea as the "next step" in human evolution, or have the tech for implanting the human brain groundbreaking anime movie Ghost in the Shell "neo-humanity," as he refers to it. into the robot. By 2035, a human should be able is the hacker known as The Puppet Master, who It doesn't stop with android bodies, to upload their brain into a robot, and by 2045 enters people’s “cyberbrains,” wipes their either. The 2045 folks are also calling for a new our bodies will be replaced with holograms. memories, and then uses their bodies for his religion and set of ethics because they don’t When this happens, Itskov says we will become own specific purposes, like carrying out crimes. believe any of the current ones can handle the "a new species.” Since Itskov is in the habit of being inspired by societal implications of living forever—as most Besides creating the technology needed movies, I’d say Ghost in the Shell is a must of the current ones have you dying first in order for this kind of evolution, Initiative 2045 has a watch for him. It's an important cautionary tale, to achieve immortality. variety of “key” future projects beyond trying to for even if Itskov does manage to build the Itskov has also gone ahead and start an “international social movement." Along future of his dreams, his immortality won’t registered his own political party in Russia with a social network called immortal.me, matter if he loses his identity. called “Evolution 2045.” Itskov lists the projects he wants to start: a As weird and unnecessary as some of But let’s back up a second. How exactly charity foundation called Global Future 2045, Itskov’s Initiative goals come across, his Global does Itskov plan to become immortal? the “scientific research centre ‘Immortality,’” “a Congress conference has managed to attract the "The main science mega-project of the business incubator” with no further elaboration, who’s who of immortality, robotic and 2045 Initiative aims to create technologies a “University of ‘Immortality,’” and an “annual cybernetics research, including Google's enabling the transfer of [an] individual’s award for contribution to the realization of the director of engineering, Ray Kurzweil, and the personality to a more advanced non-biological project of ‘Immortality.’” director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, carrier, and extending life, including to the point To help realize these goals is the Global Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro. Spiritual types like the of immortality," reads his site. Future Congress, which held its first meeting in Archbishop of Ottawa and Lazar Puhalo are Itskov is calling his artificial "advanced Moscow last year. The congress will meet again speaking as well. non-biological carrier" body an "avatar," which in New York City this June, where it promises to Don't get me wrong, there are some is controlled by a “brain-computer interface.” It unveil the most human-like robot the World has practical implications for Itskov’s type of functions more or less like the fake bodies in the ever seen. technology. Beyond medical purposes for 2009 James Cameron movie of the same name. Conspicuously absent among all of creating replacement bodies, this type of avatar Did Itskov get his idea from watching the Itskov’s writings, as well as among all the technology would allow you “work in movie? The photo below, which I found on his scientists, philosophers and spiritual leaders dangerous environments” or “perform rescue public Facebook page, would suggest that yeah, speaking at this year’s conference, are experts operations,” writes Itskov on his site. Beyond he probably did. on cyber security and the Internet philosopher- that, the possibilities a drone body allows for But this isn’t just a hairbrained, movie- types who love pontificating on the effects of are relatively endless, assuming they'll ever get inspired scheme for Itskov. He’s really thought connecting the brain to the Internet. off the ground. []