Former presidential candidate says AI could threaten human immortality.

With tech companies including Microsoft, Apple, and Google pouring billions of dollars into artificial intelligence research, the arrival of artificial general intelligence and the resulting homogeneity is no longer a question of when. For some, including former US presidential candidate Zoltan Istvan, however, rapid advances in AI since ChatGPT's launch are outpacing the biosciences, casting the quest for immortality into doubt.

Born in Los Angeles, journalist and author Istvan founded the Transhumanist Party in 2014. He was the subject of the 2019 documentary “Immortality or Bust,” about his 2016 presidential run, as well as a new biography, “Transhuman Citizen: Zoltan Istvan's Hunt for Immortality” by Ben Murnane.

“When I was getting into it. [transhumanist] movement, I believed we were only 20 years away from extreme life extension,” Istvan said Decrypt. “But now, because of ChatGPT, I think we're going to kill AGI, artificial general intelligence, before we get to biotechnology to survive indefinitely.”

AGI is the advent of machines with the ability to understand, learn and apply knowledge to a wide range of tasks alongside humans. The danger, Istvan posits, comes when AGI reaches singularity and cannot be controlled by humans.

“So perhaps our biggest threat to our immortality or our indefinite survival is artificial intelligence, a Terminator scenario, and I'm not saying that's going to happen,” Istvan said. “What I'm trying to say is that when I started AI in life extension fields, we were moving at the same pace, and suddenly, in the last couple of years, ChatGPT and AI have outgrown life. Accelerated. Science did.”

Transhumanism aims to transcend human limitations through technology, with AI playing a major role in augmenting physical and intellectual capabilities. When AGI and homogeneity are achieved, however, Istvan expresses concerns that machines may decide not to help humans, seeing them as a threat to the world.

“I'm worried it was only a year ago. [AI] Says, 'Why should I make artificial human organs for humans when you guys are destroying the planet,' or something like that,” he said. Not interested in helping.' That would be a very logical response to any species that becomes too powerful.”

Despite these concerns, Istvan remains optimistic about the possibility of significantly extending human lifespans, thanks to the growing interest in longevity and life extension research.

“You have to look at transhumanism as a movement, like environmentalism was 20 years ago,” Istvan said. “We're building, we're already millions of people who say, 'I'd love to have technology in my body, I want to use technology every day, I want to walk in my house and have my robot army. I want to order everything to be done.' This is transhumanism.”

In addition to convenience and longevity, Istvan noted another aspect of mobility is the ability to replace defective or missing organs and allow humans to connect with computers using their brains. In May, Neuralink founder Elon Musk revealed the identity of the first recipient of his brain-computer interface technology, Noland Arbaugh, a quadriplegic from Arizona. On Wednesday, ChatGPT developer OpenAI announced a partnership with the historic Los Alamos National Laboratory to use GPT-4o to study bioscience and how researchers would handle tasks with AI introduced in the process. are

“Some of it is here, as much as we want, but it's all coming,” Istvan said. “To assume that the world can go on a peaceful course through all the political upheaval and everything like that.”

In 2016, Istvan ran for president, and to draw attention to his campaign, he drove a coffin-shaped bus across the country. As a third-party candidate, Istvan said he wanted a specific campaign vehicle to draw attention to his message, particularly the goal of controlling death through science.

“The Shroud just to some extent, I don't want to say it's performance art, or it was just a stunt because it's a very real idea,” he said. “We needed to educate people on the idea that if we don't put resources into life extension science now, we're going to die.”

Although Istvan did not comment on the academic performance of the current leading candidates for 2024, he expressed dismay that the recent debate between US President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump outweighed the potential risks and benefits of scientific research. Focused on immigration and golf scores. and AI.

“Because at the end of the day, you know, like debates, nobody wants to talk about the 800-pound gorilla in the room, which is AI,” he said. “Nobody wants to talk about the fact that if we all live indefinitely, what does that matter to Social Security? We want to talk about immigration and a lot of them. Things are not at the forefront of what's really happening with the world.”

Although Istvan's plan to become leader of the free world did not end, Istvan said he had not given up on politics and ran for governor of California in 2018 and for president again as an independent candidate in 2020. was, but he failed to achieve success. Nomination

“The thing is, I still want to bring science into the picture,” he said. “I don't care if it's not a good talking point, and I don't care if it doesn't sit well with voters right now.

“One day, it's going to be great with voters because everyone's going to be scared of what's going on in the world, that we're going to hear better from experts and people who have been around for the last 20 years,” Istvan said. related to science and technology,” added Istvan

Undaunted, he said he's considering another run for California's highest office.

“The central platform of my politics has always been, let's take a lot of money from the military and let us fight the war on cancer, on Alzheimer's, on aging,” he said. “It's a very simple philosophy: Instead of trying to be the biggest cop on the planet, let's try to fight the things that really affect our loved ones.”

Edited by Ryan Ozawa.