DataArt, the global technology consultancy that designs, develops and supports unique software solutions has today released a white paper on the topic of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and aging. Crave new world: The impact of artificial intelligence on lifespan examines the state of play in biogerontology and warns about the possible ramifications.
White paper co-author and Head of AI, DataArt Europe, Anton Dolgikh, said, For millennia, immortality and life extension has been desired. Now, with AI and the power it has to analyse previously untapped data, there is a real possibility that lifespan may be significantly lengthened at a rate previously only dreamed of.
Of course, lifespan has already increased, but this has been a process over centuries. Now, we’re looking at acceleration, and it is vital that we think this progress through to its natural conclusion. Given the magnitude of recent scientific and technological advancements, we believe now is the time to discuss the implications, as a matter of urgency, he added.
The white paper covers the perspectives behind the intense evolution in biogerontology and examines the role of AI – which promises to become a vital clue to the maze of biological data that stores within itself the precious secret of biological age. With a strong warning against diving into extending life without a preceding discussion, it examines:
- New ways of predicting age and the pace of gerontology
- The part of AI in extending life
- The limitations of AI
- Ethics and economics
- Questions around AI – does it ultimately make us wiser?
Dolgikh continued :
“In the Renaissance, “homo universalis” – one who carries knowledge from many fields – was born. Five hundred years later, the 20th century gave birth to “machina universalis”, or Artificial Intelligence as we know it, which, just like “homo universalis”, contains all available knowledge. AI is the new art – the art of data.
“Even Renaissance titans such as Michelangelo and Da Vinci saw death as a natural phenomenon of nature. Will the natural and artificial intelligence of the 21st Century, this second Renaissance, be able to achieve what the first one couldn’t and push death away by significantly prolonging human life? More importantly, should humanity strive for this?
“Modern day business leaders and companies have poured millions into research. But few stop and ask – do we need this? Do we want it? How would we cope as a society? We released this white paper with a view to informing one of the most important topics of the 21st century and to stimulating a necessary debate.”
