Give the Machine a Piece of Your Mind

You might have heard Elon Musk wants to put “threads” in your brain and link it to a computer. What is this, kindergarten?

The deeper question: What if we could create a digital replica of your brain and upload and download it like a piece of software?

In 2008, futurists Nick Bostrom and Anders Sandberg published the first roadmap for whole brain emulation. They identified three core components: 1) scanning a brain 2) interpreting the brain data and building a software model and 3) emulating the brain so well it is indistinguishable from the "real" thing.

• The fantasy: You enter a booth, scan and upload your mind to a server, then download it into a robot body. Without going anywhere, you spend an afternoon wine tasting in Napa and skiing in Austria.

This sounds great, but getting your head into the cloud is not just a computer and neuroscience question. Humans have been philosophizing about what the mind is and how it relates to the brain for centuries. We’re still figuring out:

• Can the mind survive beyond the brain or exist in two places simultaneously?
• Can a whole brain emulation exhibit cognitive, emotional, and experiential capabilities?
• Is a digital replica of your mind still “you”?
• Will you need two alibis if the police come knocking?

That’s a lot of heavy stuff, so here’s the breakdown

The promise: The ability to scan your brain and create a digital model just like the original.

The roadblocks: Scientists are still years away from mapping the 71 million neurons in a mouse brain. The human brain has...86 billion. And we aren’t even sure if the mind can be emulated.

The projected timeline: Whole brain emulation is at least several decades, if not more than a century, away.

The major players: Neuroscience research labs across the world are demystifying the human brain, one small step at a time. Companies like Musk's Neuralink are working on brain-computer interfaces, a complimentary tech that will inform future emulation.