What are the three challenges that stand in the way of ``mind upload'' that transfers personality from the brain to the computer?
The idea of ``uploading your brain to a computer so that it continues to live on the computer even after your biological body disappears'' may seem like something only found in science fiction works, but as science and technology progress, More and more people are seriously thinking that it is possible to transfer human consciousness to a computer. Dr.
Could you move from your biological body to a computer? An expert explains 'mind uploading'
https://theconversation.com/could-you-move-from-your-biological-body-to-a-computer-an-expert-explains-mind-uploading-218035
Brain scanning technology has advanced significantly in recent years, and it is expected that it will be possible to observe the connections between individual neurons in more detail in the coming decades. Some scientists who support transhumanism , the idea of evolving humans through science and technology, believe that one day the human brain could be uploaded to a computer and continue to exist on the computer even after the biological body disappears. I am.
However, Mr. Weber points out that in order to upload the human brain to a computer, the following three issues must be solved.
◆1: Technology challenges
The human brain is made up of about 86 billion neurons and about 85 billion non-neuronal cells, and the number of neural connections is estimated at 1,000 trillion, Weber said. 'It is the most complex of all structures.' In addition, in order to reproduce the brain of an organism on a computer, it is necessary to create a 3D neural circuit diagram ( connectome ) of the brain. However, at the time of writing this article, brain scientists have only been able to successfully create a Drosophila larval brain, which has about 3,000 neurons and about 500,000 neural connections.
It is expected that it will be possible to create a mouse brain connectome within the next 10 years, but the human brain is approximately 1000 times more complex than a mouse brain, and mapping the human brain requires a huge amount of data. It will take some time. Of course, the speed and cost performance of creating complex connectomes may improve dramatically, as the Human Genome Project , which decoded the human genome, showed improved efficiency beyond what scientists expected. It is unknown whether a human connectome will be created within a few decades.
Furthermore, the connectome only reproduces a static brain state, and in order to reproduce brain functions on a computer, it is necessary to understand how each neuron functions. It's unclear whether this issue will be resolved in the near future, Weber said.
◆2: Challenges of artificial minds
A fundamental question is, ``If we simulate the brain on a computer, will it produce the same consciousness as a human with a biological body?'' In the past, there were many philosophers who argued that the mind and body were separate things, but in recent years, as the close relationship between the mind and body has become clear, most philosophers now believe that the mind is ultimately connected to physics. I support the idea that 'it's something like that.'
However, many cognitive scientists believe that it is the brain's complex neural structures that form the conscious mind, rather than biological substances such as water or fat. This means that if we can mimic the structure of the brain on a computer, we can recreate the human mind even if the neurons and connections are computer hardware rather than organic matter. .
In fact, Weber pointed out that today's AI systems can perform tasks that require human-like cognitive abilities on artificial neural networks that copy some of the structural principles of the brain.
◆3: Challenges of living
Even if the technological challenges were solved and it became possible to create human consciousness on a computer, the final question would be, ``Is the uploaded mind really the same as the original human, or is it just a mental clone?'' The question is ``Is this true?''
Weber points out that this problem is reminiscent of a classic philosophical puzzle: ``What is the basis for assuming that the person who woke up in bed in the morning is the same person who slept in bed last night?'' Philosophers are broadly divided into two camps: the biological camp and the spiritual camp. The spiritual camp claims that ``the self in the morning and the self in the evening share a spiritual life and have the same memories, beliefs, hopes, and personalities, so they are the same person.'' It is claimed that.
The difference between the biological camp and the mental camp is whether uploading your brain to a computer means 'obtaining a new mind' or 'obtaining a new body.' produces. If the biological camp is correct, brain uploading may not work because the mind on a computer is different from what exists in a biological brain. On the other hand, if the mental camp is right, Weber explained, brain uploading could work because the mind on the computer is the same as the one in the biological brain.
Even if all of the above challenges are cleared, the existence of two people: ``my biological body with my brain uploaded'' and ``myself on the computer'' causes various problems. Intuitively, it seems reasonable to say that ``my physical self is the original, and my computer self is a copy,'' but this does not mean that a copy can be elevated to an original just because the physical body has disappeared. It may be too simple to think about it.
Weber said, ``Unfortunately, the hypothesis of living with an artificial mind cannot be tested empirically. We would have to actually upload ourselves to find out.'' It's always a big leap. Personally, I would only make that leap if I was convinced that my biological hardware, my physical body, wouldn't last that long.'
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