In this blog post, I reflect on the fusion of humans and artificial intelligence, technological evolution, and humanity’s desire to become gods.

The Future Form of Humans as Seen Through ‘Ghost in the Shell’

I watched the movie ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ which features a special agent who is a fusion of human and artificial intelligence. While the film’s story might seem like a distant future fantasy at first glance, it is actually set in a ‘near future where the boundary between humans and robots has become blurred.’ The film depicts a future where the human brain can exist digitally without a physical body, inhabiting a virtual space—a networked world akin to the internet. This suggests humanity could evolve beyond merely creating and using robots, fusing itself with artificial intelligence to transcend biological limitations.
This vision of the future offers a different perspective from the dystopian imaginings frequently featured in Fourth Industrial Revolution discourse—the anxiety that the development of artificial intelligence could render humans obsolete and potentially lead to humanity’s demise. ‘Ghost in the Shell’ shows the possibility that humans can transform into beings that actively evolve, rather than passively being extinguished by technology. The fact that a film embodying this new perspective has been released attests to how our very vision of the future has changed significantly from the past. Taking this film as a starting point, I wish to reimagine humanity’s future by focusing on the concept of ‘active evolution,’ which differs in tone from the future scenarios humanity has traditionally envisioned.

Advances in Biotechnology and the Expansion of Evolutionary Concepts

Since the advent of the internet, global research across all scientific fields has surged dramatically, propelling human civilization to develop at an unprecedented pace. Progress in biotechnology is particularly noteworthy. Humans can now directly intervene in the creation of life and artificially manipulate the characteristics of other species to create entirely new forms of life.
For example, Brazilian bio-artist Eduardo Kac created rabbits that glow green through genetic modification. This work transcended simple experimentation, pioneering a new field merging art and science, while also symbolizing humanity’s transcendence beyond the dominion of natural laws. Humans have now become beings that are both products of nature and creators akin to nature itself. This inherently incorporates the meaning of ‘creation through technology’ into the concept of ‘evolution’.
While traditional evolution occurred through natural selection over vast spans of time, modern evolution is happening much faster and more deliberately through the intervention of artificial technology. Humans are no longer merely the result of evolution; they are becoming its orchestrators.

Evolution Beyond Organisms: The Blue Brain Project and the New Humanity

As the concept of evolution shifts in this way, humans are developing various technologies to transcend existing biological limitations. One such field is called ‘inorganic engineering’. This technology explores the possibility of humans shedding their identity as organisms and transforming into new beings possessing inorganic characteristics.
A prime example is the ‘Blue Brain Project’ underway in Switzerland. This research aims to digitally recreate the human brain within a computer, replicating a human-like neural system within a virtual space. If successfully implemented, humans could exist while maintaining intelligence and consciousness without a physical body.
Such an existence possesses characteristics distinct from conventional humans. It requires no food intake, renders the concept of death meaningless, and can download information in real-time from the internet to use like a brain. Much like the special agents featured in the movie ‘Ghost in the Shell’. This represents not merely technological advancement, but a turning point where the human species evolves beyond the category of biological life into a new species.

The Dual Nature of Technological Evolution and Human Choice

However, progress always carries both light and shadow. As technology evolves more radically, the accompanying side effects and social controversies inevitably increase. If the technology to implement the human brain in a virtual space becomes commercialized, reaching social consensus on it will not be easy. Clear conflict will arise between those who choose to evolve into new beings and those who do not, placing humanity once again on the path of divergence.
Those who embrace the technology and reconstruct themselves as digital beings can live without facing biological death. Conversely, those who reject it and remain as existing humans will accept the limits of biological lifespan and meet their end. In other words, based on their choice, humanity will split into ‘new humans’ and ‘current humans,’ and thus the end of one species will arrive by its own decision.

The Outcome of Survival Competition and Evolution for the New Humans

Some might speculate that a reduction in the current human population could make Earth more pleasant, creating a better environment for human life. However, from an evolutionary perspective, only the most adaptable species survive in the struggle for existence. The new humanity will possess superior characteristics to current humanity in every aspect—intelligence, lifespan, access to information—making them overwhelmingly dominant in the competitive landscape to the point where comparison becomes difficult.
If this situation persists, only the new humans, favored for survival, will remain, and the existing human species will gradually disappear. This follows the same mechanism as biological evolution, but it is significant because individual choice actively influences the process. In other words, evolution occurs where ‘conscious choice,’ not natural selection, determines the survival of the species.

Humans, Becoming Gods Themselves

Works like ‘Ghost in the Shell’, filled with imaginative visions of humanity’s active transformation and the future, remind us that we are not merely beings controlled by technology. Humans have feared progress yet ultimately embraced it, actively choosing evolution. Now, we dream of becoming new beings, transcending the mere compensation for our finitude.
In the future, humanity will evolve into beings completely different from today, not through external destruction but through internal change. And that evolution will occur not by someone’s coercion, but by our own choice. Ultimately, Homo sapiens stands at a fateful crossroads, needing to make a conscious decision to move to the next stage of evolution. The end of our human species may not be extinction, but a new beginning.