Written at 11:00 AM 10.8.2017
I think it’s fascinating to be alive at such a pivotal point for humanity. Not only do I bear witness to the sour fruits of the industrial revolution but I see a future where science fiction becomes reality.
I recently read an article on the subject of quantum computing, a topic I’ve closely followed since I’d first heard the term several years back. We are mere months away from having built a new “world’s most powerful computer” with just 50 bits (or qubits, short for quantum bits) of processing power.
The reason I bring this up has to do with the Anthropocene. Over the past week, it has felt like the wealth of issues we face are impossible to solve. We face either collapse or revolution, but now I have new hopes. Technological progress is growing exponentially and with quantum computers, progress is about to get a significant boost. Combine this processing power with machine learning and artificial intelligence development, I can easily see a future involving a synthetic life form revolution. Today we have literal gene modification and designer babies. Tomorrow, we’ll have quantum computers, AI, and within my lifetime, I’m sure we’ll see the first synthetic lifeforms smarter than any modern human as well as cybernetics. Its no longer science fiction, its technology.
As to whether or not humans will be around in 100 years, I would guess probably not. At least, not the way we are now. No matter what happens though, as a science major, I’m excited.
The article I read that partially inspired this journal entry can be found here : https://futurism.com/google-just-revealed-how-theyll-build-quantum-computers/