New technologies like augmented reality, artificial intelligence and brain computer interface will make the current digital reality of social media and fake news totally pervasive. Gene editing technologies will allow us to create a super human subspecies. In what reality will they live?

Recently, I saw a video about the new Apple Vision Pro. I made me realize that we are rapidly creating a new reality.

Augmented reality – Tech companies call it ‘augmented reality’. Augment from Latin literally means something like a helpful addition. But I suddenly became convinced that it will, a few, ten, twenty, who knows how many years from now be more than that. Much more. It will become a new reality for our brain, our reality. Yes, the Matrix! It is actually coming.

Post-reality – In fact, it’s nothing new. Social media have already caused us to largely live in a digital world. Already, it is sometimes very difficult to differentiate between factual reality and digital reality. Companies use it for advertising their products and services. But also, (good and) bad actors are using social media to influence, indoctrinate large groups of people with fake news. Nothing new, companies have advertised and bad actors have used propaganda for the last hundred years, and more. But the means have become much more pervasive, much more all-present, much more penetrating into our brains. Our new reality.

The fictional realities our brains biologically already create will easily combine and mix with the new AI generated digital realities.

AI and the mix – And, with the advent of AI technologies things are getting much more pervasive. Soon, maybe today already, AI generated images, audio and video can no longer be distinguished from factual reality. Now, this is becoming a very interesting mix. The fictional realities our brains biologically already create will easily combine and mix with the new AI generated digital realities, especially with next generations of technnology like Apple’s Vision Pro.

Brain implants – And, I’m convinced it will go further than electronic gadgets that we put on our heads or attach to our ears (such as Apple’s AirPods). Companies like Elon Musk’s Neuralink are already experimenting heavily with true invasive technologies, brain computer interface. Yes, implanting computer chips in your brain. Once that is successful, your brain is one-to-one connected with … the internet. And, vice versa, of course, the internet with your brain.

Gene editing – But there’s even more. Next to AI and high-tech, a lot is being experimented today with gene editing, DNA manipulation. Yes, CRISPR-CAS9 and similar technologies. It won’t be long before we will create so-called ‘designer babies‘. It will start with stopping diseases, hereditary (so predictable) diseases. Then we will design genes that are resistant to deadly and other diseases, eg. COVID or measles. Next, we will for instance make ourselves resistent to mosquito bites, etc. The next phase, will be that we will want to actually design our offspring, eg. blue eyes and blond hair maybe, or muscled men and beautiful women, etc. And, we will want to live longer, one hundred, two hundred years, forever, and so on. Or maybe, even, live a permanent orgasm …

Super Human – And, all of these technologies will be … very expensive. So, not for everyone. Only the rich will be able to pay for it. (And probably, already are. At least, they can afford better medical guidance and monitoring.) And, that way, slowly a new super human Homo Sapiens subspecies will be created. I believe, this is more or less what Yuval Hariri means when he speaks of Homo Deus.

Brave New World … Again

Sound familiar, right? Already in 1932, almost a hundred years ago, Aldous Huxley wrote the novel Brave New World, “(…) largely set in a futuristic World State, whose citizens are environmentally engineered into an intelligence-based social hierarchy, the novel anticipates huge scientific advancements in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation and classical conditioning that are combined to make a dystopian society which is challenged by the story’s protagonist.”

What I find particularly interesting is the mental world that the Super Human will live in. Super Human’s world. What will be their reality, the reality they see? What will be their mind model? How will they deal with ‘traditional Homo Sapiens”, Homo Sapiens Traditus? Classic Human? Ancestral Human? Traditional Human? Let’s call ‘m Classic Human.

More than two years ago, I already wrote a story about The New Big Story that we as humanity need. And I think, this is it. The story of Super Human. And about a year ago, I wrote about The Big Split. (And, if this isn’t it, then the next likely alternative new big story, in my opinion, is the story of The Aliens, the cosmic stranger that unites humanity and all other living Earthlings in protecting our planet and all life on it. I’ll write a new story on that one day.)

You see The Big Split happening everywhere, now. Lots of people sense that they are ‘not winning’, that they may be left behind. Classic Human. And, they don’t like it. But they cannot change it. They see it happening. It creates a strong romantic tendency to ‘the good old days’. And some just refuse to play the current game, whatever the consequence … It largely explains for me the big shift in politics globally towards conservatism, towards refusing the current state of affairs. Clinging to old and familiar certainties. Religion, too. And sometimes even reject and rebel. Irrationally, sometimes … no, often. Against their own benefit, against their own good. But still. And, it makes totally sense, in their world. I blame nobody. Hopelessness, no sight on improvement, no feeling that they themselves can improve their situation.

Interesting is, that this has always been the case in history for large groups. So, what is different? They know! They see it. They see others succeed, and themselves fail. They can easily envision themselves in much better situations, yet, it does not happen, and they know, they feel, it will not happen.

The difference with earlier times is that now people can envision themselves in a better situation, they see a possible path, but still it doesn’t happen.

And then, there are the techno-optimists. The Silicon Valley gang, so to say. The people who thrive in the techno-world, making good money with their job or company. Developing all the new technology. Dreaming of transforming themselves and their offspring into Super Human. So, forget about West versus East, forget about USA versus China, forget about Israel versus Palestine, forget about white versus black, forget about man versus woman, forget about religion versus religion, forget about all of these other – often hyped – contraditions and tensions. The real Big Split will be Classic Human versus Super Human.

Super Human’s Mind Model

So, again, what will be the mind model of Super Human? What world do they live in? Is it the world of Jessica Delacourt, Jodie Foster’s character in the movie Elysium? Hmm, maybe, not sure. Or the world of Agent Smith, Hugo Weaving’s character in The Matrix? Hmm, also not sure.

So, what is it? What will it be?

Observed reality

There are a number of determining factors for Super Human’s mind model. As with every living creature, the mind model of Super Human is largely determined by what they observe. Will Super Human observe different things than Classic Human? Well, probably, yes. It is likely, that vision, hearing, smell, taste and feeling will be improved, either through better DNA or augmented with AI. Maybe Super Human will see a broader light frequency spectrum, hear a broader sound frequency spectrum, etc. Maybe, like snakes, Super Human can see infrared, enabling them to see in (what Classic Human would call) the dark. Maybe, like dogs, Super Human can hear far above 20kHz. Etc.

So maybe, in Super Human’s world ‘the dark’ doesn’t exist anymore, and ‘silence’ hardly exists anymore. Never again afraid in the dark and afraid of spooky silence. That gives self-confidence, that changes your attitude. It changes your mind model.

Improved thinking

Fed by those improved observations, and through brain-computer-interfaces having access to all existing information in the world and AI-based analysis of that, Super Human will probably make much better decisions than the often flawed (see: Kahneman) decisions than Classic Human. That will enable Super Human to give themselves a much better position in society and the world than Classic Human. It is not unlikely, that Super Human will improve their ‘reality testing’ significantly, ie. stop believing ineffective (fictional) stories.

That changes your view of the world. Most of what seemed impossible in Classic Human’s world, turns out to be easily possible in Super Human’s world. That gives self-confidence, that gives bravado, thinking in possibilities.

Renewed purpose?

So, what will be Super Human’s life purpose? Classic Human’s life purpose is mainly driven by evolutionary survival. Will Super Human’s purpose be fundamentally different? Well, to be honest, I don’t think so. Then, the question will be: do they feel they need each other or Classic Human for their evolutionary survival? A number of them will probably be tempted to live on their own or in very small group. Depending on how self-supporting they will be, that may or may not be a successful strategy. (You see some ultra-rich already do so today, living behind walls and gates, and in closed communities.) Yet, I think, Super Human will have enough of the Classic Human DNA left to fundamentally feel they need each other to increase their survival chances, especially in a cosmic universe with other living species from other planets, solar systems or even galaxies. After all, the ultimate drive of all life is … to stay alive! Maybe, that will give Super Human a renewed purpose: survival of Earthlings against the aliens. Who knows. Maybe not.

Survival of Earthlings in the universe may not be a zero-sum-game among aliens, but the united battle of the living against the deadly forces of the cosmos.

Maybe living creatures in the universe (probably at least as intelligent as Super Human) will decide that there is more than enough room in the universe, and that survival depends much more of (together) fighting cosmic threats (such as asteroids, exploding stars or black holes that absorb your solar system and planet) than fighting each other. Maybe survival in the universe is not a zero-sum-game among aliens, maybe it is much more the united battle of the living against the deadly forces of the cosmos.

Maybe, that will be the mind model of Super Human. And what about Classic Human? Super Human will most likely treat them as their dear predecessors, taking care for them like animals in a zoo. And maybe, in the very long run they (so: we) will become extinct. That’s what I think, for now.

But how about Aldous Huxley?

Yes. Why did it fail last time? When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World? Good question. Apparently, we weren’t ready for it, then.

So, why would it succeed this time? Well, maybe it won’t. It’s probably an iterative process over the ages. But, one day, maybe in ten, hundred or a thousand years, it will, I think. We’re simply not far enough, yet, not advanced enough. Ages ago, it started with day dreaming. But slowly, we are improving on execution, step-by-step. Two steps forward, one backward. But the last decennia the speed of improvement is increasing exponentially. Why? Well, simple. In the days of Leonardo Davinci, the genius was very much a loner or working in very small groups, whereas today almost every bit of progress, innovation, scientific discovery is shared around the world as a new basis for others to proceed on. In other words, we are massively working together. That speeds-up things enormously.

Anyhow.

One thing I am convinced of.

Maybe it is hard to imagine now, but one day we, as we are today, will be seen as Classic Human, the predecessor.

Just like now we look at Homo Erectus or Homo Antecessor.