Humans merging with machines is no science fiction fantasy. And the idea of technology evolving to being implanted within humans, our brains, our physical bodies, is perhaps not a century or two away – but some scientists would speculate, more like a decade, tops.

I cannot for the life of me understand why this isn’t more of a topic of discussion. Everyone focusing on themselves, politics and money is probably the reason A.I. has received so little fanfare. Or shall I say, so little fearful reaction from the public.

And maybe that’s part of the problem – too many outlandish SciFi movies about robots and humandroids etc., so we are excusing the reality far into the future or as non-existent altogether.

That would be a mistake. I think it’s time artificial general intelligence was brought to the family table, to school classrooms, to neighborhood chit-chats over barbecue dinners on cool summer nights.

At any rate, it will be upon us all in only a few years – it already is here but in less sinister manifestations than say, military sentient beings destroying earth. Indeed the military is doing some deadly, radical experimentation with artificial intelligence. But A.I. also has its silver linings; like being implemented to help people.

…Fleenor lost both his hands in a near-fatal electrical accident 25 years ago…What’s so cool is that as he guides his virtual hand across that virtual plank, he literally, biologically and neurologically, feels its wooden surface. Thanks to some new software and an array of fine electrical connections between another embedded chip and the nerves running up his arm to his brain, he experiences a synthesised sensation of touch and texture indistinguishable from a tactile event.

From the article, “The Merging of Humans and Machines is Happening Now

This is called Artificial Narrow Intelligence and it’s a good thing. But it’s paving the way for a complete overhaul of the human being – that is to say, artificial general intelligence – which is more risky on every level.

DARPA is also studying the restoration of sensation, connecting sensors to the arm systems and returning haptic feedback from the arm directly back to volunteers’ brains.

Featured Image and quote from Darpa Revolutionizing Prosthetics