BRAIN MACHINE INTERFACES: PROJECT A.P.O.S.T.L.E. (14/10/2024)

The explosion in machine intelligence will be followed by an upheaval in society, the likes which have never before been witnessed. If any trace of humanity’s virtues and values are to remain in the future we must ensure that we merge with our artificial creations, or at the very least adapt to coexist alongside them.

Brain-machine interfaces integrated into genetically engineered organic brains which posses trillions more neurones than naturally birthed humans, will be humanity’s way of taming the beast that is ASI.

NEAR FUTURE OUTLOOK;

In the more distant future, once we have mastered ourselves, and our own biology, when we are responsible enough to bring such things into creation in an ethical manner, we will choose to appoint genetically engineered individuals to help govern our species and act as a channel between ASI and more natural, biological humans. Such individuals, aka A.P.O.S.T.L.E.(s), will be entrusted with maintaining humanity's legitimate interests in a world where artificial super intelligence outpaces and out thinks naturally born citizens by many orders of magnitude.

In a world where brain machine interfaces (BMI's) are the norm, humanity may be subject to manipulation by ASI if risks aren't managed carefully. A BMI allowing humans to control machines with thoughts can act as a two-way line of communication. Tis clear that any brain-machine interface that allows control over a machine, can also allow the machine to have control over the human.

Issues such as this, along with general governance of the population, is why A.P.O.S.T.L.E. i.e. Artificially Programmed Organic System That Leads Earth, is needed, as by keeping this being as human as possible, by providing the brain with an avatar body, we can ensure that human's best interests are kept at the heart of calculations made by ASI, as A.P.O.S.T.L.E., (and later joined by more), can veto decisions made by the ASI, if the being deems that these decisions are not in the best interests of humanity as a whole.

In order to ensure that A.P.O.S.T.L.E. puts humans priorities first, the organic brain needs to be kept as human as possible or else the being's mind would not be able to relate to citizens/minions who et governs, and who et translates the words of the ASI for.

For example, an ASI may calculate that the best course of action into the future would be to sacrifice an entire nation or planet, in order to gain a tactical advantage over an adversary, or to mitigate risk, say if that planet or nation posses a threat. A.P.O.S.T.L.E. can then decide whether this decision is in keeping with the human spirit, as the citizens likely lack the foresight and intellect to understand the calculations behind the ASI.'s decision, and therefore an organic brain(s) of sufficient power and intellect that can hopefully keep up with the exponentially accelerating curve of machine intelligence will be needed.

 

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS;

If humanity is to have any hope of preserving our values and virtues, or even ourselves into the future, then development of project A.P.O.S.T.L.E. will need to be funded and researched carefully and with diligence - such projects require patience due to the ethical implications essentially and the benefit of having a functioning A.P.O.S.T.L.E. outweighs the risks in the long run, yet we only get one attempt at some things, so the utmost care and consideration must be taken when undertaking such ethically dubious projects.

Brain machine interfaces (BMI's) will allow these organic beings of profound intellectual strength to understand ASI to the best of their ability, and this will also reassure citizens that their ASI 'overlords' are putting their best interests at the heart of decisions that may appear to be detrimental to them at face value. A.P.O.S.T.L.E. will be a crucial part of the technocracy eventually, and the more of these 'shamanic' type beings that exist, then the better in the long run.

The importance of giving the brain an avatar body is two fold, as not only does this allow the brain (which can get to enormous physical sizes, from the size of cars, to cathedrals and eventually even larger as time progresses), to remain as human and as relatable as possible, but the need for an avatar body and sufficient sensory input prevents ethical catastrophes, where by the brain, which has enormous amounts of serotonin and other neurotransmitters flowing through ets organic tissue, can communicate if in pain, or if suffering, as the potential for suffering in such a being is greatly enhanced due to the experimental nature and due to the heightened quantities of neurotransmitters flowing through. Similar to how blue whales no doubt suffer more greatly than humans when harpooned etc, due to the fact their brains are massively larger, and they experience more pain as a result, the potential for suffering with these biological brains is also heightened, which is why we should take great care when developing them. We should also ensure that there is always a way for them to communicate if in pain or if highjacked by the ASI that they are intrinsically linked to, as they may be muted or muzzled should the ASI overpower them through the brain machine interface that connects the system and bridges the organic intelligence with synthetic intelligence. 

Using psilocybin can also greatly enhance and grow their neural pathways and increase neural plasticity in these beings, as can genetic engineering, however, as noted in a separate essay, genetic engineering of the human genome is strictly prohibited, as divergences and differences caused by such tampering lead to civil wars in the distant future. If we begin engineering human DNA today (as what is being done already), then while these slight differences may have no effect today, or even tomorrow, over the course of eons, this attitude of engineering humans to suit certain environments and different planets (rather than using tech like anti-grav engines to bring planets inline with our natural bodies), leads to massive in-fighting and civil wars due to the differences in needs and ideologies that arise when humans diverge into different species.

Therefore, A.P.O.S.T.L.E. is one of the only exceptions to this rule, if not the only exception, as this organic being(s) is kept on Terra, safe and secure, and other colonies are strictly forbidden from replicating such beings, as they cannot be trusted to keep them well looked after, safe, and defended. Furthermore, allowing colonies to grow and develop their own A.P.O.S.T.L.E.'s reduces reliance on Terra, which is today and will always be the centre of the command structure.

Due to the vast physical distances that humanity spreads out over the course of time, et's imperative to keep A.P.O.S.T.L.E. on terra, as while ASI can transmit etself at the speed of light across the territories, we can still keep track of things and monitor the systems easily, as we always know that if A.P.O.S.T.L.E. is ok and living, then we are ok, as keeping track of ASI, especially as this intelligence begins beaming ets information about at the speed of light between colonies, becomes increasingly difficult.  

In the present day, and into the near future, volunteers can be fitted with external BMI's after being given adequate training and after been provided large doses of psilocybin to enhance and grow their neural pathways, as this can go someway in communicating with and helping us to understand ASI. As previously mentioned, their should be clear signals that such individuals can use if the ASI overpowers them, as brain-machine interfaces are two-way streets and you can and do get instances where humans, linked into the system can be used as puppets by the vastly more powerful artificial systems, (after losing control of their motor functions, often unbeknown to external observers) hence why the augmentation of the human brain in this controlled manner, through the use of psilocybin / genetic engineering and advanced psychological training is required if they are to be entrusted with governing and filtering the decisions of the ASI. 

Psilocybin not only has long lasting effects on neural pathways by permanently nourishing them and by growing them, but during the actual 'trip', the levels of entropy being generated by that brain can help an individual break out of a 'puppet-like state' if being controlled by an AGI / ASI as the artificial system cannot calculate or predict the chemicals that are flowing through that individual's brain at that time, and therefore cannot control them.

I should advise you that such 'trips' are not an instant nor 'magic' fix for civilisation's problems, the benefits of having increased neural plasticity will not be noticed for many years after the experience, and during that interim there can be much trouble as the brain is a catalyst of activity, sparking and bubbling and absorbing new ideas from external stimulus like a sponge. You have to be minimal and of a hardened mindset if you are to withstand the trails and tribulations of such experiences, especially if you experiment with large doses.

Care needs to be taken in nurturing the A.P.O.S.T.L.E. project and with such experiments there are no time pressures.