AI will be 'either best or worst thing' for humanity" _ Stephen Hawkings

Prolouge This scenario deals with a world in which humans evolve themselves and their surroundings faster and considerably further than it would be the case if we had to concern ourselves with the tremendous complexity of an artificially controlled intelligence and robotics.

Hypothesis In the future the combination between a human brain and computer-based, yet human motor skills will play an essential role in many areas of the occupational life but also in our leisure time. The best robot with the most intelligent artificial brain will for a long time still be inferior to humans who are able to think and act simultaneously and with the help of exoneural control will be in no way inferior in terms of precision or perfection. This will, on the one hand, ease the tension of the pronounced trend towards automation, which is often subject to criticism, and on the other hand it will also create the possibility to counteract alienation caused by technology. The trust put in a human being will – not everywhere, but in most places - always be greater than the trust we put in machines. At the same time technology can clear humans of a charge which in turn means that there are new resources available that we can use for other tasks. Long learning processes are no longer required, mental and physical overload will be reduced significantly but still this life would offer plenty of pleasant challenges that would be missing in a world of “full automation”.

A human brain, the gold standard In the medium-term future no computer will be able to completely replace a human brain. Even though we know that in many regards even the simplest computer is clearly superior to a human brain (memory capacity, data availability, stamina, speed, etc…) in a lot of areas our brain with its thinking processes and subconscious decisions is neither sufficiently studied nor can it be used in its entirety by developers of AI. In short, the human brain remains, in a lot of essential areas, the unrivalled peak of human evolution that will be superior to any competitor for a long time. But is it really only about when we will have achieved a technology that is on par with us? Wouldn’t it be scary if we cannot tell a machine from our equals? And where would we use such a technology? Maybe for bomb disposal or in other environments that are hostile towards human beings? Where it is inhumane, so to say. But what would you think of a friendly robot that visited you before a surgical operation to talk to you about the low risks involved in this surgery and the experiences – that is to say pre-programmed, theoretical scenarios – it has? Is that enough? Can the AI decide correctly in the case of an emergency? Or wouldn’t you prefer the elderly head physician with the shaky hands? But until an AI can really replace a human being with all its complex, intelligent thinking processes we still have a long way to go. But who knows, maybe until then all wariness about such a “machine” will have faded and will be part of our every day lives. But what if we do not want to look that far into the future. Into a future where the artificial brain has not entirely replaced the human brain. Wouldn’t it be best to simply combine the advantages of both? Human brain and robotic perfection? No, I do not want to paint a nightmare scenario surrounding organ transplants and cyborgs. Instead, I am thinking about the experienced head physician who, despite her age, can operate on you with a steady scalpel and makes you feel like you are in good hands. Analogous to the well-known “exoskeleton” I would like to call this approach “Exoneural Network”.



On-skin neuronal network



How does the Exoneural Network work? What is an exoneural network and what is it capable of? In the human body the brain controls all physical processes. Muscles and organs receive commands but also processes within the brain take place, of course, just there. The exoneural network makes use of this complex system, which is existent in every human body. It is practically interposed between the brain and the locomotor system and from there it can have an effect on our movements but without modifying the brain’s original command. In fact it rather has the characteristics of an error correction which compensates everything that does not correspond to the original command of the brain. This may initially seem a little bit oppressive because a system is seemingly “hacking” into our organism but at second glance, this can be regarded as an auxiliary system that is just as mundane as the technology behind a camera’s image stabilizer. The difference is that the latter needs gyro sensors that detect movement for a moment and counteract this movement with a paired system. The exoneural network basically works in a similar manner but with different means. It makes use of the existent equipment that human beings come with. Staying with the example of the camera it would mainly be the human eye and of course our “mind”, therefore the cognitive brain power itself. The principle is simple and comprehensible: Everybody can see at a glance when her hand is not still but -naturally- shaking. We can see it but we can do nothing against it. The control of our muscles does not allow for more precise motor skills and the recognition of this deficiency does not help us to adjust, not least because our reaction time is way too slow. This is where the exoneural network sets in to support us. The command (holding the hand still) as well as the insufficiency regarding the execution (recognizing the shaking hand by looking at it) are known. The brainwaves that now occur (or: the will to compensate what we see) are the result of this situation. Because there are very specific patterns and coherences that become apparent in the brain the exoneural network is able to recognize these precisely and link up with the brain in a way that it counteracts this very specific insufficiency. The system synchronizes the information gathered by the eyes with the commands that are sent to the muscles (in this case arms and legs and so on) while taking the observed insufficiency (shaking) into account. In this case the string of nerves circumvent the slow, cognitive layer of the brain. The hand stays as still as you want it to.



Functional diagram



The enormous potential of man and technology The fact that the final implementation of this technology seemingly interferes with brain processes may initially seem complicated or even intimidating. It should however be clarified that this system is not able to do anything that is not wanted by the brain. Therefore the human always stays in control – the network merely reacts and aligns unwanted facts with the brain’s original “wishes”. It never adds something to the brain’s commands or alters them. But when you continue this thought and imagine the potential that lies in this system, it gets tremendously interesting. Simple mechanisms of compensation are just the beginning. Humans will quickly learn to use this system in the most different ways in all areas of life. But we are not talking about a mere development of technology. Instead the exoneural network can forward the development of the human brain into new directions – and does so in an entirely natural way. It is able to accomplish this not by stimulation or other interventions but by making our lives easier and freeing resources so that we can use them otherwise. And this could mark a major step in the history of the evolution of mankind.

If the motor skills of a human being can be optimized many learning processes can be shortened. Time and many of the brain’s resources can be used for new developments and research but also for the newly acquired motor skills. Everyday work but also leisure activities can be revolutionized. First of all, all kinds of movements that the human body is capable of can be accomplished precisely and without deviations. At the same time the need for concentration regarding a particular task are being reduced to a minimum while other cognitive areas are accessible more easily which in turn makes multi-tasking possible in areas where it was considered stressful before. The system protects itself in a very natural way as soon as thoughts start to drift because in that case the corresponding task would not be communicated to the exoneural network. At a later stage – with the appropriate technological aids – it will be possible, for example in creative processes, to illustrate and realize everything that one can think of. Thoughts can be transformed immediately as soon as one has learned to control one’s own motor functions according to one’s thoughts. By bypassing the cognitive level all senses can be used much more impetuously. Everything we see or hear can be stored in the background or it can be forwarded to the brain immediately, for example an alarm or a warning. The breaking-in of this system is based on a basic programming that can be altered individually.

This system will be especially important in working areas in which the human being is difficult to replace and where there are high requirements regarding experience, concentration and where quick understanding and reactions are necessary which can only be obtained over a long period of time. These kind of requirements can be found in professions such as emergency doctor, surgeon, police officer, pilot, flight controller, precision engineer and many artisanal or creative professions as well as in professions where rather monotonous workings are necessary. At a later development stage physical performance could be further enhanced and coordinated by a more specific muscle response. In the inverse direction it would be possible to amplify haptic information return it to the brain more precisely, thus increasing one’s sensitivity which in turn can, for example, improve safety during surgeries. Motion sequences can be accessed and executed much more easily. It will be possible to feed dexterities and motor exercises into the network and only focus on their quality and accuracy. This makes it possible to make the right decisions in precarious situations much more quickly and confidently. But the system is also supposed to prevent the replacement of humans with robots where monotonous work has to be done. The concentration has to be kept up at all times in order to benefit from human experience and intelligence. That is why actions within a task unit can be rewritten using correlating algorithms in a way that a certain form of gamification takes place. For the worker the tasks appear as a positively challenging game, while all the real factors are still perceptible. This enables the worker to quickly recognize all irregularities and take countermeasures immediately. This technology will cultivate at a pace that will make it possible to accomplish tasks that no one or only a very limited number of people are capable of. For example an amateur would be able to play a complicated piano concert right away. Although this would mean a loss of individuality and exclusivity it has to be mentioned that this has always be the case in some way in the course of human history. In return there will be new and undreamt-of possibilities that will have to be explored which will bring new pioneers to the forefront.




Holographic engineering





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