Artificial intelligence, biotechnology and nanotechnology will shape the face of civilization by the XXII century, according to the physicist and futurist Michio Kaku. At SPIEF 2018, he outlined the contours of the future, which is already being laid in scientific laboratories around the world. Much of science fiction - telepathy, travel to other planets - will become reality.
American theoretical physicist with Japanese roots Michio Kaku is an expert in quantum mechanics, supergravity, and string field theory. In recent years, he has been actively promoting science, giving public lectures, and broadcasting on television and radio.
He interviewed about three thousand scientists leading various promising developments. His books "Physics of the Impossible", "Physics of the Future" and "The Future of Mind" with forecasts for 30 and 100 years ahead became world bestsellers.
Michio Kaku believes that by 2100 manned flights to Mars will become cheap and widespread, new supersonic aircraft will be built that will cope with wave drag, life expectancy will significantly increase, energy storage problems will be solved, and a commercial thermonuclear reactor will start working. The scientist believes that there are parallel worlds and that travel faster than the speed of light is possible.
Let's forget cancer
In the 1970s, developed countries began to fight cancer. And although cancer has not yet been conquered, technologies have been created to successfully treat it. For example, a smart tablet, which is a chip with a video camera. Moving through the stomach and intestines, she conducts an examination, transmits an image, revealing a tumor at the earliest stage.
Even more advanced devices are nanobots. These are tiny biocompatible particles that carry drugs or cancer-killing tools.
Promotional video:
“Right now, someone has cancer cells inside, but the person doesn't know about it until the tumor grows,” says Kaku.
To defeat the disease, you need to be able to identify cancer cells at the time of inception and destroy them one by one. That's what nanobots are for.
Very soon, a technology called "liquid biopsy" will become commonplace. With its help, blood and other fluids secreted by a person are examined for tumor markers. You will not need to go to the doctor to get tested: they will be done by a smart toilet.
“In the future, we will forget about cancer, because it can be detected at the level of cells and immediately treated,” the futurologist says.
Dangerous robots
One of the most advanced robots in the world, Azimo dances and recognizes people by sight. The developer claims to have a beetle mind. Over time, robots will appear with minds like a mouse, a rabbit, a dog and, finally, by 2100 - like a monkey.
“Dogs think that we are dogs too, only stronger, so they obey us. Monkeys know that we are different. When robots understand this, they will become dangerous,”warns the futurist.
He proposes to build a killer chip into the robot in case he decides to harm a person. But this is a temporary solution, because sooner or later the machine will learn to neutralize the threat. What to do then?
“This is a challenge for the next generation,” Kaku replies.
He would rather not fight with robots, but merge with them. We've invented exoskeletons and electronic prostheses, so why not become superhumans? Many people now find this unacceptable. But in the XXII century people will perceive everything differently. In any case, humanity still has time to think.
Digital immortality
Recently, scientists were able to transfer the simplest memories from one mouse to another through a chip embedded in the hippocampus. This promises good prospects for sharing not only memories, but also feelings and emotions.
The Internet of the future, according to Michio Kaku, will turn into a brainwave and fundamentally change the entertainment industry. As in the middle of the last century, sound films replaced the silent ones, so at the end of the XXI century, mankind will see a cinema that conveys feelings and emotions.
Kaku bases his prediction on the Connectome project, which aims to completely digitize the brain and neural connections. It is expected to be completed by the end of the century.
Scientists have always denied the existence of a soul, they believed that the brain is only neurons, but Connectom changed this paradigm. Complete digitalization of the brain will allow to recreate a person after death. Having a brain map and collecting information left in virtual reality (social networks, email, online purchases, and so on), the computer will revive the human personality and implant it into the robot. Thus, anyone will be able to communicate with a deceased relative or friend.
“In a way, we will gain immortality,” the physicist assures.
They will create libraries of digital human souls and images of great people, where they will be able to communicate with Napoleon, Churchill or Einstein.
“The digital soul can be sent far into space instead of itself. In a second it will be on the Moon, in 20 minutes - on Mars, in an hour - on Pluto,”Kaku gives an example.
According to him, the souls of people will travel at the speed of light without missiles. Pure consciousness will begin to master the Universe. The scientist believes that this is how aliens explore space.
Telekinesis and telepathy
Interfaces have already been created that allow the paralyzed to communicate with others. Physicist Stephen Hawking's glasses had an infrared sensor built into them, which recorded the movements of his cheek and gaze, helping to type on the monitor. But scientists are interested in something more - the ability to capture and decode electromagnetic signals from the brain. While it turns out to read individual words, images.
In the United States, they started developing exoskeletons to help former soldiers, disabled people. A completely paralyzed man opened the soccer championship in Brazil in 2014 by hitting a ball. He controlled the exoskeleton with his mind. This technology Michio Kaku calls radio telepathy.
We are able to use scanners to observe the work of the brain in real time. We know where which area of the brain is activated when a person falls in love or thinks. Based on this data, the neural network learns to extract thoughts in the form of simple images. In the future, people will be able to photograph even dreams. This will greatly affect art.
The middlemen will disappear, the cops will remain
By the end of the century, humans will be running virtual and advanced reality in a fully digital world. Blinking, a person will receive any information in contact lenses, download a biography of the interlocutor, translation from any language. Our cars, toys, clothes and shoes, walls in the apartment will become smart thanks to built-in artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence will completely change the labor market. The professions associated with conveyor production, performing repetitive operations will disappear, there will be no intermediaries. Specialists whose work is based on experience and creativity, as well as those who, by the nature of their work, communicate with people, will be in demand. This is why we cannot do without police officers, cleaners, gardeners, doctors, lawyers, stock brokers. They cannot be completely replaced by robots that lack common sense, empathy, experience, intuition, and creativity.
“People can buy stocks by pressing a button on the clock. Why would they go to a stock broker? The answer is that they need intellectual capital, advice, experience, forecasting talent. This will not be done by robots. Only a person is capable of this,”sums up Michio Kaku.
Tatiana Pichugina
