We have a stunning February 2020 report, “Exploring Biodigital Convergence,” released by “Policy Horizons Canada… a strategic foresight organization within the Government of Canada...”
The report lays out a pattern of joining biology and digital technology to create new humans.
This IS the planned future.
It doesn’t take a genius to see that this is the far shore of a global control grid.
I’ll start with a sprinkling of quotes from the report; they give you a general notion of what this “revolution” is about:
“Biological and digital systems are converging, and could change the way we work, live, and even evolve as a species.”
“More
than a technological change, this biodigital convergence may transform
the way we understand ourselves and cause us to redefine what we
consider human or natural.”
“Digital
technologies and biological systems are beginning to combine and merge
in ways that could be profoundly disruptive to our assumptions about
society, the economy, and our bodies. We call this the biodigital
convergence.”
“Full physical integration of biological and digital identities.”
“Biodigital
convergence is opening up striking new ways to: Change human beings –
our bodies, minds, and behaviours…Change or create other organisms …”
Now here is a passage that should pull you up short:
“Digital
technology can be embedded in organisms, and biological components can
exist as parts of digital technologies. The physical meshing,
manipulating, and merging of the biological and digital are creating new
hybrid forms of life and technology, each functioning in the tangible
world, often with heightened capabilities.”
“Robots
with biological brains and biological bodies with digital brains
already exist, as do human-computer and brain-machine interfaces. The
medical use of digital devices in humans, as well as digitally
manipulated insects such as drone dragonflies and surveillance locusts,
are examples of digital technology being combined with biological
entities. By tapping into the nervous system and manipulating neurons,
tech can be added to an organism to alter its function and purpose. New
human bodies and new senses of identity could arise as the convergence
continues.”
That
last paragraph has citations referring to published studies. I plowed
my way through one, which detailed experiments with rats. The
researchers found new ways of embedding many, many “threads” in the
rats’ brains. These threads can presumably deliver information/commands
to the brain. That would be the goal.
So
this report on biodigital convergence is more than theory. It’s more
than speculation. It’s extrapolation from current research. And it’s
“forward looking.” At times, it barely contains its enthusiasm for a
future in which humans aren’t humans anymore. Humans are “more.”
Here are several other quotes from the report:
“…biology is subject to influence and manipulation that was not possible a few years ago.”
“For
example, gene sequencing [enabled by digital technology] combined with
artificial intelligence (AI) leads to understanding genetic expression,
which is then used to alter existing organisms to create organic
compounds in new ways or even entirely synthetic organisms.”
“Neural
nets – computer systems that are designed based on biological brains –
are an example of how biological understanding is shaping digital
technology.”
One hand washes the other. The biological and the digital hands collaborate.
But
surely, people still understand that biology is fundamentally different
from digital technology. Right? Read the next quote from the report:
“As
we continue to better understand and control the mechanisms that
underlie biology, we could see a shift away from vitalism – the idea
that living and nonliving organisms are fundamentally different because
they are thought to be governed by different principles. Instead, the
idea of biology as having predictable and digitally manageable
characteristics may become increasingly common as a result of living in a
biodigital age. Any student of biology today will have grown up in a
digital world and may consciously or subconsciously apply that [new]
frame of reference to bioinformatics and biology generally.”
The report is talking about a cultural shift.
People immersed in “the digital world” will no longer view biology as VITAL AND ALIVE and the digital as MECHANICAL AND DEAD.
Instead, living biology will just be one more territory to be manipulated; like a machine that can be improved.
Therefore, the whole concept that LIFE IS VIOLATED by manipulating it and altering it radically…will fade out and go away.
The idea that biology is one thing and the digital is another will vanish.
Continuing to quote from the report:
“As
digital technology became more complex and connected, the system began
to mimic the characteristics of the biological world, leading to the
notion of technological ecosystems. Biological models are also being
used to develop digital tools, such as AI based on neural nets.”
Did
you catch that phrase, “technological ecosystems?” Suddenly, the
non-living---machines and data---is thought of as living. And many tech
oriented people would say, “Well, of course. The systems ARE living. And
if you don’t agree, you’re hopelessly old-fashioned and holding on to
an irrelevant paradigm.”
The
report: “Biodigital convergence is…moving away from the centralized
models of pharmaceutical and industrial biotech toward widespread
commercial and consumer use. These range from bioprinters that create
organic tissue, to synthetic biology machines that can be programmed to
create entirely new organisms. For example, Printeria is an all-in-one
bioengineering device that automates the process of printing genetic
circuits in bacteria. It is intended to be as easy to use as a domestic
desktop printer and is projected to cost $1,500.”
Anyone can EXPERIENCE the blending of digital and biological by carrying out experiments at home.
And
speaking of home, here from the report is a “possible scenario”
occurring in the new biodigital world; up close and personal.
Note:
Given what you’ve already read so far, this scenario is a decidedly
Lite and cheery version of what it would be like to live in the new
world. Further, there are all sorts of pseudoscientific assumptions
about medical/health solutions and climate change EMBEDDED PERMANENTLY
in the AI programs that govern daily life:
From
the report: “I wake up to the sunlight and salty coastal air of the
Adriatic sea. I don’t live anywhere near the Mediterranean, but my AI,
which is also my health advisor, has prescribed a specific air quality,
scent, and solar intensity to manage my energy levels in the morning,
and has programmed my bedroom to mimic this climate.”
“I
send a brain message [a thought] to open the app that controls my
insulin levels and make sure my pancreas is optimally supported.”
“I
check my brain’s digital interface to read the dream data that was
recorded and processed in real time last night. My therapy app analyzes
the emotional responses I expressed while I slept. It suggests I take
time to be in nature this week to reflect on my recurring
trapped-in-a-box dream and enhance helpful subconscious neural activity.
My AI recommends a ‘forest day’. I think ‘okay’, and my AI and neural
implant do the rest.”
The neural implant, triggered by a mere thought from the compliant citizen, creates the virtual “forest day.”
“The
summary of my bugbot surveillance footage shows that my apartment was
safe from intruders (including other bugbots) last night, but it does
notify me that my herd of little cyber-dragonflies are hungry. They’ve
been working hard collecting data and monitoring the outside environment
all night, but the number of mosquitoes and lyme-carrying ticks they
normally hunt to replenish their energy was smaller than expected. With a
thought, I order some nutrient support for them.”
“Building
codes and home energy infrastructure are synchronized, and require all
homes be autoregulated for efficiency. Because houses and buildings are
biomimetic and incorporate living systems for climate control wherever
possible, they are continuously filtering the air and capturing carbon. I
check my carbon offset measure to see how much credit I will receive
for my home’s contribution to the government’s climate change mitigation
program.”
“I
replace the smart sticker that monitors my blood chemistry, lymphatic
system, and organ function in real time. It’s hard to imagine the costs
and suffering that people must have endured before personalized
preventative medicine became common.”
“Today’s
microbiome breakdown is displayed on the front of my fridge as I enter
the kitchen. It’s tracking a steady shift as I approach middle age:
today it suggests miso soup as part of my breakfast, because my biome
needs more diversity as a result of recent stress and not eating well
last night.”
“I
take my smart supplement, which just popped out of my bioprinter. The
supplement adjusts the additional nutrients and microbes I need, and
sends data about my body back to my bioprinter to adjust tomorrow’s
supplement. The feedback loop between me and my bioprinter also
cloud-stores daily data for future preventive health metrics. The
real-time monitoring of my triglycerides is important, given my genetic
markers.”
“As
my coffee pours, I check my daughter’s latest school project, which has
been growing on the counter for the past week. She’s growing a liver
for a local puppy in need as part of her empathy initiative at school.
More stem cells are on the way to start a kidney too, because she wants
to help more animals. I grab my coffee, brewed with a new certified
carbon-negative bean variety, and sit on the couch for a minute.”
Many people reading this scenario would jump at the chance to live in that world---blithely assuming all would be well.
They
would never guess their neural implants OVERRIDE decisions they
themselves make that run counter to government “recommended behavior.”
Nor
would they imagine the varieties of strange hybrid creatures that
abound in this Brave New World. Animal-human-machine creatures, whose
functions are assigned by technocratic rulers.
And the last thing they’d realize is that they could very well BE those animal-human-machine creatures.
Finally,
for now; there is one element which keeps people from admitting that
“science fiction” can actually come to pass. They believe people living
in a dystopian science fiction world would KNOW it was horrible and
life-destroying---and would rebel.
But
the Canadian report points out that our culture is burying that
knowledge. People of the near-future could hold beliefs which affirm the
biodigital convergence as a major ADVANCE. As PROGRESS. As an Evolved
Reality. As Truth.
With the memory of the past…gone.
CODA: Under several headings, the report lists biodigital strategies. They’re chilling. You can easily discern the implications.
HEADING: “What new capabilities arise from biodigital convergence?”
“Altering the human genome – our core biological attributes and characteristics.”
“Monitoring, altering and manipulating human thoughts and behaviours.”
“Neurotechnologies read brain signals to monitor attention and manage fatigue.”
“New ways to monitor, manage, and influence bodily functions, as well as predict, diagnose, and treat disease.”
“Digital devices can be worn or embedded in the body to treat and monitor functionality.”
“Biohacking with implanted digital devices to enhance bodily functions.”
“Nanobots and nanomaterials can operate and precisely deliver drugs within living creatures.”
HEADING: “New ways to change or create other organisms”
“Changing the type or amount of inputs that organisms need to grow.”
“Synthetic
biology draws inspiration from biology, engineering, computer science,
and physics for the design and construction of new biological entities.”
HEADING: “new ways to alter ecosystems”
“Changing and eradicating entire species.”
“Altering the natural environment at scale.”
HEADING: “New ways to sense, store, process, and transmit information”
“Turning organisms into biocomputers.”
In the ENDNOTES section of the report, you can find links to published research on biodigital experiments.
[...]
(The article continues on my blog, here -- with the source.)
(Follow me on Substack, Twitter, and Gab at @jonrappoport)
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