If robots can process information, store data, and communicate information at the same rate as people, what will happen? Will they not be just as good as humans? Just so you know, while we will touch on one aspect of information processing in this post, there has already been great progress in understanding how to store information like our DNA and convey it like our nervous system.

Being the most intelligent species on Earth, we have been transitioning rapidly over the past few decades from the analogue to the digital world.

A few decades ago, the development of the electronic calculator was considered a significant technological advance. Since then, information processing has seen tremendous transformations. With smartphones, wearable technology, and other smart devices, we have undoubtedly come a long way from the days of “push the keys” to “touch, swipe, and speak.”

We are moving toward a new era of data and computation termed quantum computing as well as the technical realities of artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), the internet of things (IoT), and the metaverse.

What’s That, Now?

In any case, quantum computing is a cutting-edge technology that uses the strength of quantum mechanics to solve incredibly difficult problems that are beyond the capabilities of conventional computers. Simply explained, this computer-based technology is founded on the principles of quantum theory, which examines the behaviour of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic scales.

Quantum theory-based supercomputers operate at exponentially faster speeds while using relatively less energy.

A calculation that would have taken the most powerful computer in the world 10,000 years to complete took less than 4 minutes on Google’s Sycamore quantum computer a few years ago.

Additionally, Google’s machine is almost 158 million times faster than the world’s fastest supercomputer.

This quantum computer uses a quantum mechanical method to perform calculations that are incredibly complicated and well beyond the capabilities of humans.

According to tech giants, the influence of quantum computing on data analytics and artificial intelligence will propel mankind further into the future. With its incredible speed and power, we will be able to overcome even the most difficult problems that humans encounter.

What if I said that humans might face a challenge from robots in the upcoming decades?

If that were to occur, it would be due to quantum technology and AI. Researchers are already working to find a way to combine quantum physics, which has powerful algorithms, with artificial intelligence combined with autonomous robotics. They are looking into how to employ quantum technology to the benefit of robots that can learn. The findings so far indicate that robots can make decisions more quickly.

Human-Intelligent Robots

There are currently plans in place to create robots with identical ideals and rights as humans. They will be able to comprehend the universe in the same way that humans do, and they will experience the whole range of human emotions. Such human-like technology will fundamentally alter how we interact with both technology and the outside environment.

Next, what?

Do you recall the film Transcendence? The main character outwits death by uploading his consciousness into a quantum computer! What you may have considered to be unrealistic at the time may not be so now. According to popular forecasts, the idea of virtual or digital immortality would soon lead to the transformation of humans into transhumans. Although it is not a consumer product, we already have a commercially viable quantum computer.

How would it be made possible by this technology?

So, going back to its original meaning, quantum computers make use of quantum bits, also known as qubits. They are able to handle incredibly massive volumes of data and highly complicated problems in less than a second thanks to these tiny physical things. The quantum computers would therefore have no trouble storing a human’s memories and personality.

Recent developments demonstrate that narrow AI is far more capable than humans at completing some jobs. It won’t come as a surprise to learn that artificial intelligence will eventually challenge our race by mimicking human ability, i.e. reacting to diverse tasks.

Returning to the topic of digital immortality, it is theorised that a person’s consciousness may be transferred to and stored in a robot, a virtual body, or a computer. Although a few milestones still need to be met, the necessary technology and hardware for this transfer are likely to arrive within the next decade.

How far along are we with digital immortality?

A person’s consciousness can be uploaded and stored in one of two ways:

Data is moved to a cloud-service in this manner:

It may then readily interact with both the real world and the virtual world. The exciting outcome is that the individual’s awareness will continue to exist in a virtual environment for tens of thousands of years. Not only that. He can also visit different virtual worlds and download materials for a more immersive experience. He can work with his own digital clones while still living to do crucial tasks in real life more quickly.

Having completely new bodies

The second case, however, predicts that humans may develop new bodies as they age or perhaps build entirely new ones. The least priced model might look robotic or machine-like despite the fact that models may differ depending on the sort of technology used.

In a few decades, these machines may be highly expensive synthetic bodies that resemble real human bodies and use a variety of high-tech characteristics to improve their mental and physical capacities. In tens of thousands of years, synthetic bodies may have advanced to the point where they are capable of things that are beyond our wildest dreams today. New iterations of these bodies are also possible, if necessary.

In the next 25 years, uploading the human mind should be feasible, though Ray Kurzweil, a noted futurist, cautions that perfection may take a long time.

One year ago, researchers successfully reprogrammed the eyes of mice, one of the body’s most complicated organs, in a laboratory. An older person who becomes blind will never regain their vision. As a result, the experiment was carried out using gene therapy on one-year-old mice, giving their retinas a youthful appearance. Out of the four reprogramming elements, three were put into practise. Scientists were able to stop the ageing process in their retinas, regressing them to an age of about two months. The mice could see everything well once more, just like they had when they were younger. The mechanism can also be activated and deactivated anytime necessary. The ability to reverse ageing using any tissue has been proved by scientists, however not by going back too far.

Due to the rapid advancement of technology, it is likely that the notion of death will be obsolete in about a century. Humans will just be switching between bodies while their memories and consciousness are recorded as bits of data.

So, our understanding of the potential of artificial intelligence is still in its infancy. Thus, the use of quantum computing grows with each new and fruitful experiment. IBM predicts that within the next five years, quantum computing will likely enter the mainstream. Can we now reflect on our mythology and say that our society has been discussing it for ages?