AGI, nanobots, fully autonomous self driving cars, cancer cures and aging cures, significant life extension, etc are all a long way off. Decades.

I’m not saying they’ll never happen, of course, just that we’re a long time away from them. I see way too many people thinking that these things are around the corner, and it makes me sad.

With regards to life extension especially (since i see a looooot of people think they personally will get to live forever), the odds of biotech and medicine advancing in our lifetimes to the extent that it facilitates biological immortality and indefinitely extended lifespans is slim to none at best. Go ask the actual experts if you don’t believe me.

The most we will see in our lifetimes is increased HEALTHspan, and tbh even that is iffy since we don’t even know if we will get even that.

In my opinion the first generations to experience significantly extended lifespans and age reversal probably haven’t been born yet. That’s how long i think it’s going to take.

  • lasagna@programming.devEnglish
    3·
    1 year ago

    AGI, nanobots, fully autonomous self driving cars, cancer cures and aging cures, significant life extension

    I don’t know what AGI stands for but as for the others, I’m not sure you have a full grasp.

    Self driving cars is a non issue. Cars aren’t sustainable, we don’t have space for them and let’s not even mention pollution (yes, even electric).

    Cancer research is a sliding scale. The survival rate for cancer now is much bigger than it was e.g. 50 years ago.

    It’s highly arguable whether a cure for aging is a good thing. The people most interested in this tend to be rich, selfish folks. Besides, that wouldn’t fix things like a fucked joint, which isn’t an issue exclusive to old age. This success would open up opportunity for much misery.

    Nanobots are robots in the nano scale. We have been making ever smaller robots. I’d argue that this is also a sliding scale, with microbots having loads of applications and so on.

    • Staccato@lemmy.worldEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      A cure to aging would be defined as an extension of healthspan, not lifespan. People living till their 80s on average but having fewer disablements and diseases of old age would be what success might look like.

      I think it would be generally good for everyone, if it were to be broadly available. Removes a big strain on health care, enables people to be autonomous and independent into adulthood, and could even change this “demographic cliff” the rich fear with our decreasing birth rates.