Humanity began to actively seek a way to "cure" its own mortality since ancient times. This is why almost all religions and gods exist - to provide people with eternal life, because no one wants to die forever.
The story of the search for eternal life
In the Middle Ages, besides religion, science also began to strive for eternal life. Alchemists began struggling to look for the philosopher's stone in order to prepare a universal elixir that could not only turn any metal into gold, but also give a person immortality.
In the twentieth century, people paid a lot of money to freeze their own body (or just the brain - to save money) in a cryogenic chamber so that they could live in a future free from death and disease.
Companies such as Humaii and Carboncopies are gaining popularity today, which use artificial intelligence (AI) and nanotechnology to allow the human mind to outlive a mortal body.
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Brian Cox
It sounds like science fiction, but there are a lot of people in the scientific and technical community who take this idea very seriously.
Recently, Brian Cox, a British physicist, astronomer and former rock musician, told the British newspaper The Sun that the human brain (consciousness) can be loaded onto a computer and thus become immortal much earlier than most people imagine. True, Cox never identified the most likely timeline.
Singularity theory
The Technological Singularity is a theory popular with many academics and technology development industry leaders that describes a turning point where technological development will become so complex and rapid that it surpasses the capacity of human intelligence.
According to many theories, at the threshold of the singularity, artificial intelligence will reach and surpass human intelligence in its development. Many futuristic scientists and developers argue that this moment is worth fearing. Among them are names like Hawking and Musk.
An optimistic view of the future
However, Cox, like many transhumanists, is more optimistic about the future. He suggests that being able to download consciousness into a computer will allow a person to actually merge with the technologies they have developed. These technologies will help people overcome current physical limitations, including illness and death.
According to Cox, there should be no restrictions on the development of artificial intelligence, modeled in the image and likeness of the human brain. The fact is that we do not yet quite understand how our consciousness works, and therefore we are at a low level of AI creation. Once we better understand the neural network of our own brain, we can create an artificial intelligence like ourselves.
Another proponent of this idea of human immortality is Ray Kurzweil, a developer, futurist, and director of Development at Google. According to his forecasts, a modern person has a good chance (80%) to live until the moment when life is no longer limited to two dates. He predicts that by 2045 we will be able to download our consciousness into a computer, thereby ensuring ourselves eternal life.
It is worth remembering that 86% of this person's predictions come true.