Peter Diamandis Thinks Nanotech Will Interface With Human Minds

Peter Diamandis is no stranger to the singularity. The entrepreneur founded a think tank called “Singularity University,” focused on scientific advancement, and this week Diamandis outlined how he saw humans and technology interacting as time progressed, lengthening lifespans and ultimately linking the human mind up to machines.

In medical school, Diamandis set himself the goal of expanding human life to 700 years. That seems like an extremely long lifespan for a living creature, not just humans, but this month’s discovery that Greenlandic sharks can live to 400 years shows that lifespans over several centuries aren’t unreasonable.

“We’re going to look at your genome and all of your body’s systems and identify what’s likely to kill you and find it before it does. So stopping you from dying is the first bit,” Diamandis said at the Singularity University Global Summit, reports SingularityHub. “And the second [bit] is replenishing your stem cell population so that you have a restored regenerative engine throughout your life.”

Diamandis explained that he was researching nanotechnology that would allow human brains to interface with machines. This isn’t an unthinkable feat: researchers at the University of Southern California have been working on neural implants to enhance cognitive functions. Diamandis sees technology slowly progressing to the point where humans can actually log on through the mind.

But when asked about uploading his consciousness to a computer later in life, Diamandis was less enthused. “Honestly, I don’t think about it,” he said.

Researchers are split on whether humans will be able to live for centuries or if there are firm limits. Advancements in human-brain interfaces could mean being able to upload consciousness to a machine later in life, but when asked for a timescale on this, Diamandis couldn’t say for sure.