Escape the surly bonds of being a mere human!
From the RAND Corporation, October 23:
Machine Learning and gene editing at the helm of a societal evolution
The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and biotechnology, whilst in its infancy, presents significant opportunities and risks, and proactive policy is needed to manage these emerging technologies. Whilst AI continues to have significant and broad impact, its relevance and complexity magnify when integrated with other emerging technologies. The confluence of Machine Learning (ML), a subset of AI, with gene editing (GE) in particular can foster substantial benefits as well as daunting risks that range from ethics to national security. These complex technologies have implications for multiple sectors, ranging from agriculture and medicine to economic competition and national security. Consideration of technology advancements and policies in different geographic regions, and involvement of multiple organisations further confound this complexity. As the impact of ML and GE expands, forward looking policy is needed to mitigate risks and leverage opportunities. Thus, this study explores the technological and policy implications of the intersection of ML and GE, with a focus on the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), China, and the European Union (EU). Analysis of technical and policy developments over time and an assessment of their current state have informed policy recommendations that can help manage beneficial use of technology advancements and their convergence, which can be applied to other sectors. This report is intended for policymakers to prompt reflection on how to best approach the convergence of the two technologies. Technical practitioners may also find it valuable as a resource to consider the type of information and policy stakeholders engage with.
Key Findings
Machine learning is accelerating advances in biology
ML is accelerating advances in biology, primarily by enabling faster processes with efficiencies as well as providing predictive capabilities. The integration of GE and ML has substantial practical implications, but much of the underlying technology still requires development and it in an early stage of maturity....
....MUCH MORE
That's all well and good but it is on page 57 of the 112 page report that we see the first mention of "posthumanism":
The US group produced five policy actions in the first instance (listed
in Annex C). These were focused heavily on national security centric
regulation while also on fostering R&D, more specifically augmenting
the population to an equal baseline of health and wellness as a starting
point, indicating the start of the posthumanism era. The underlying
narrative of the discussions in the US group pertained to needing to
regulate the applications − the end-product of these technologies rather
than the development processes per se. While AI/ML may need to be
regulated upstream of application, its application to biotechnology
requires outcomes focused regulation; the focus should be biology and
not the algorithm. The US group collectively held the view that it is unlikely
to be able to prevent all harmful applications down the line. The focus,
therefore, needs to be on defending against and mitigating such risks,
and on the ability to respond at pace. The group also argued the need to
stop relying on export controls, as that would incentivise countries and
trading blocs to produce their own markets to prevent themselves from
being left behind.
And on page 100 we see:
4. Foster R&D in the area of engineering to improve the quality of life
and equalise good health across the population creating a new human
‘baseline’ of wellbeing indicating the new era of posthumanism. This
would require establishing necessary domestic legal frameworks,
putting R&D funding in place, and fostering cooperation between
domestic R&D agencies, the private sector and academia.
Yeah baby, post humanism here we come!
I swiped the "Escape the surly bonds..." line from WWII fighter pilot and pilot trainer John Gillespie Magee Jr.'s 1941 sonnet High Flight:
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds,—and done a hundred things...
