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  • This video is made possible by Assassin's Creed Origins, and if you've ever played an Assassin's Creed game

  • Then you may be familiar with the device called the Animus.

  • Which allows you to relive the memories of your distant ancestors in a virtual reality environment.

  • This may be possible in the game, but it's not possible in real life

  • However the science behind mind uploading

  • or the process of uploading your consciousness into a computer

  • to engage your mind in a virtual reality simulation is possible.

  • Don't go running out to upload your brain yet though because with our current technology this is totally impossible.

  • It would take an estimated 20,000 terabytes of information to store a fully detailed map of the human brain

  • While that number may seem achievable that estimate does not consider the complexities of a fully functioning brain with decision-making abilities.

  • The true data storage needs for a functioning brain would be immense and

  • nobody really knows how much storage space you would actually need.

  • Futurist thinkers like Ray Kurzweil and Nick Bostrom believed that the

  • computational power needed to simulate a human brain will become available later in the 21st century,

  • with Kurzweil predicting that you'll be able to upload your brain to a computer by the year 2045.

  • So let's just assume that in the future this actually does become possible

  • and you have the option of transferring your mind to a computer.

  • Imagine you could upload your digital mind into a younger robotic body

  • that would live out your youth,

  • or use your digital mind in a robot on Mars or anywhere else in space

  • without the need for a suit or risking your own life to get there.

  • Would you do it, and what are some reasons why you shouldn't.

  • Seemingly the possibilities are endless, but unfortunately so are the problems.

  • Uploading your brain to a computer wouldn't really make you immortal like you may be thinking.

  • The uploaded mind on the computer would have an identical memory and personality as you but would just be a copy of you.

  • Similarly if you were to clone yourself you would still maintain your own existence and will eventually die from natural causes.

  • You may convince yourself of immortality knowing that after you're dead your mind copy could still exist,

  • but that only exposes countless other problems that our future society will have to deal with.

  • Philosophically speaking, would there be any way to prove that your uploaded brain would be a conscious being?

  • Even if it verbally insisted that it was actually conscious, would we believe it?

  • Or would we think that it's just a string of code acting like it was conscious.

  • If we assume that the brain upload is actually a fully conscious being, then what rights would they be granted?

  • Uploads could be erased by computer viruses or malware without the need to destroy their hardware,

  • which could mean that the assassination of uploads could be easier

  • than the assassination of their biological human counterparts.

  • If a virus did erase an upload, then would that be prosecuted as a murder?

  • If one upload erased another upload, would that upload have committed a crime

  • punishable by a lengthy prison sentence or even the death penalty?

  • Would uploads be represented by a biological or fellow uploaded lawyers in court?

  • The questions really are endless. If a biological person dies would their upload inherit their estate

  • If in the future the President of the United States dies while in office but has an upload

  • would the upload be capable of inheriting the position of president?

  • Could an upload make the call to pull the plug on its biological version

  • if it was terminally ill or in a coma?

  • Or perhaps even more weird,

  • would uploads have marriage and childcare rights?

  • Could an uploaded mind and a biological human legally marry one another in the future?

  • These are all potentially enormous social issues

  • that our civilization will have to confront later on in this century.

  • And we're currently doing very little to prepare for it.

  • Most frightening of all however is the possibility that

  • uploaded minds would process thoughts much faster than their biological counterparts.

  • This could lead to a situation where leadership positions are given to uploads,

  • since their decisions would be quicker and more rational.

  • It's possible that biological humans might react violently towards this growing power of uploads,

  • especially if their salaries are negatively impacted.

  • Even more complicated would be how the decision-making process of a digital consciousness

  • would affect everyday humans.

  • Actually that'd be a good idea for a movie.

  • What would happen if somebody invented the technology that allowed you to upload parts of your thoughts

  • and your experiences so that other people could make better decisions.

  • I'm gonna go make a video on my channel so we can spitball this

  • So with all of this knowledge now in mind

  • Would you be comfortable with uploading your mind to a computer in the future?

  • If you live long enough to see 2045,

  • you may have to answer this question eventually whether you want to or not.

  • And who knows maybe you're already an uploaded mind

  • and you just don't realize it yet.

  • If you want to experience something more interesting than real life though,

  • you can explore the world of Ancient Egypt in Assassin's Creed Origins, which is already out right now

  • I've been in love with Assassin's Creed games

  • ever since I got to explore Renaissance Florence and Venice in Assassin's Creed 2.

  • It gave me a unique insight into the world of Italy half a century ago, and I've gotten that exact same feeling

  • exploring Ancient Egypt in Assassin's Creed Origins.

  • What's really interesting to me though is that they're including a mode called

  • Discovery Tour that turns all of the violence off and gives you a guided tour as if you were actually in

  • Egypt thousands of years ago. You may not be able to simulate your brain just yet

  • but exploring Ancient Egypt in Assassin's Creed Origin

  • sounds like a fair compromise for now.

  • If it's something you're interested in, check out the link in the description

  • and I'll see you again next Friday for another new video then.

This video is made possible by Assassin's Creed Origins, and if you've ever played an Assassin's Creed game

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