Mind drives from the popular sci-fi show The 100 allow humans to bypass death and live forever. In the tv show, a mind drive is a computer chip that is embedded in the human brain to store all life data of a human being. If the body dies, the mind drive is installed into a new body allowing a mind to live on forever. However, when a mind drive is transferred to a new body, the human host dies to make room for the mind drive. This is a scary reality for those used for others to live on forever.
Leveraging technology as a second brain, allowing a human to live in an external body, is not a new idea and is explored elsewhere in Hollywood. But, the question remains, is Mind Drive technology possible, and will it become a reality? Elon Musk thinks the answer is yes, and so do I.
We’ll be essentially snapshotted into a computer at any time. If your biological self dies you can be uploaded into a new unit. Literally.
Elon Musk
The reality of mind drives can come to fruition in various ways.
- The human mind is cloned and syncs to the drive
- The human mind migrates to the drive
We need to explore where the device is installed in each of these possibilities when needing a new host. For example, does the mind drive need a new human host, or is it implemented into an android (or robotic humanoid)? These options can lead to a concerning and scary reality for the human race and individuals with mind drives installed. So let’s explore these futuristic realities! After all, would you be yourself, or is a robot stealing you, your life, and who you are?
If you prefer to read, feel free to skip the infographic slideshow. If you would like to download “What a future with The 100’s mind drives would look like for humanity Infographic.“
Scenario 1: The human mind is cloned and syncs to the drive.
In this scenario, the mind drive clones the individual’s mind and syncs all new memories and experiences throughout their life. It’s essentially a backup drive for the brain, similar to a backup drive for a computer. The mind drive can be installed into a new unit when the individual passes away. The options for a new host unit can be:
- Another human host, this human’s mind, will be erased to make room for the data on the mind drive, similar to the storyline in The 100.
- A non-biological robotic humanoid, an android
Once it’s installed in a new host, the body is reanimated with the individual’s behaviors, personality, and all previous life’s memories. But this new version of the individual isn’t really the same person; it’s a replica of someone who once lived. The human that died wasn’t migrated to the new host; they passed away with their human body.
How freaky is it to think of a robot clone of yourself living life without you? Or taking another’s life for your technology-version-of-yourself to live on forever?
On a less scary note, this kind of mind drive can provide humans a way of storying unlimited data, defeating memory loss, and defeating diseases like Alzheimer’s. And when the human host dies, the mind drive dies along with them.
Scenario 2: The human mind migrates to the drive.
In scenario 2, the human mind migrates to the drive. This is similar to the movie Avatar when Jake Sully leaves his mortal body for a completely new one. The consciousness, soul, spirit, and life leave the individual’s human body for a new, healthy body: an authentic way for an individual to live forever. This reality can be favorable to the human race if the replacement biological body is grown in a lab & people are not sacrificed for the longevity of others.
However, suppose humans are migrated from human bodies to non-biological bodies. In that case, this could be the end of humanity as we know it. There would be no need for biological humans once the human mind to android migration is complete. The android human race would take over, and humans would be phased out of reality.
What are your thoughts on mind drives? Are you for them, against them? Do you have another futuristic scenario that could come into play for mind drives? Let’s discuss in the comments below, or send me a tweet. I would love to hear your perspective.
