Author: Devin P.

Gotta Get An Upgrade

Devin P.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Given the opportunity to hyrbridize, I would want to combine with a dolphin. Dolphins are some of the most intelligent animals on Earth. Additionally, they are also incredibly social creatures that show attributes of playfulness and adaptability. They also have some cool physical abilties such as echolocation, allowing them to navigate and see their surroundings in ways that exceed human capability. Combining human intelligence with dolphin natural capability could create opportunities for perceiving and interacting with the world in new ways.

I would want the hybridiziarion to be both selective and functional. For example, I would welcome the ability to breathe underwater and develop enhanced sensory perception; but, I would want to maintain my human appearance and cognition. The goal would be to blend these traits seamlessly into my exiting humanity. The result would be my ability to explore and understand ecosystems in the ocean, while still engaging with human society.

Regarding how much of my humanity I would be willing to sacrifice, I would set the limit at emotional and social connections. While I’m open to some physical alterations for dolphin-like characteristics (such as enhanced lung capacity or modified skin for life underwater), I would oppose any changes that would undermine my human emotions, creativity, or relationships. For me, becoming a hybrid would enhance and broaden my skills, rather than erase or lessen my humanity.

In the end, this thought experiment prompts significant questions about identity: How much of our humanity is linked to our biology, and how much is influenced by our experiences and relationships? The idea of a dolphin-human hybrid could provide a fresh viewpoint on these limits without entirely eliminating them.

The Future of Human Augmentation

Devin P.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

As time progresses, human augmentation continues to become more of a reality. For starters, wearable technology such as exoskeletons will become the norm, evolving into surgically-placed devices that enhance strength, agility, and endurance. Prosthetics will also see an evolution with integrations such as neural-link and neural interfaces that will offer capabilities far beyond those of natural limbs.

Speaking further of the neural aspects of augmentation, “brain-computer” interfaces will allow for direct interaction with computers, potentially improving memory, learning speed, and critical thinking capabilities.

I feel that for myself, I will have several option available to me that will allow for me to live a bit further than nature intended. As aforementioned, neural implants will become a common augmentation in society. Health-oriented augmentations will advance too, that could possibly extend and improve quality of life in humans. This goes for physical and biochemical enhancements. There will be bioengineering that will improve immunity, strength, and other physical attributes.

There will also be some adaptations that won’t catch on in society, and will most likely be deemed unacceptable. Any augmentation’s that might resort from loss of autonomy such as thoe controlled by external entities or vulnerable to hacking would be unacceptable. Any enhancements that alter personality, emotions, or moral reasoning go in this category as well. There are some augmentation that I wouldn’t personally like; but society might be indifferent to. Those include enhancements that cater primarily to aesthetic trend or take advantage of social influence.

There are many overall ethical implications that come with augmentation technology and its advancement. There are many concerns that will rise, and many questions that will follow such as; who will get access to these enhancements? how will they mold societal structure? what regulations will need to be implemented to monitor augmentations use? These are all questions that will need to be answered as augmentation becomes more of a reality in my lifetime.

Tyrell Corporation: Not Far From Fiction

Devin P.
Reading Time: < 1 minute

In Blade Runner, the Tyrell Corporation accentuates corporate overreach and unethicality. It creates highly evolved technoogical “Replicats,” artificalial being that are indistiguishable from humans. They are designed to be exploited, and used for labor and warfare. The corporation prides itself on making porducts that are “more human than human” making a model out of surpassing human limitationts. The companies actions lead to severe consequences in the film that include social unrest, existential crisis and violence.

There some parallels that can be made between the Tyrell Corporations, and corporations of the contemporary world. Companies such as Amazon have faced criticism for their treatment of workers as expendable resources, similar to Tyrell’s exploitation of the Replicants. Furthermore, there are corporations crticized for their monopolization of markets and greed for power and influence. These include some tech giant like Google, Meta, and Amazon which have been caught overstepping in realms of privacy and information.

While these comparisons are important to make, there is of course the idea of potential hyperbolization of reality because the Tyrell Corporation is a work of fiction. Despite this, some realistic predictions can be made. If technological adavancements contune to evolve without proper ethical oversight, there is an increased risk of exploitation, dehumanization, and inequality. A consolidation of power by a few corporations, in AI and biotech fields specfically, is a very real concern.

Ushering A New Era: Blurring The Line Between AI and Human

Devin P.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In the past few years, the distinction between human and artificial intelligence (AI) has dramatically shifted. What we once considered to be science fiction, confined to the lens of cyberpunk in media, is readily becoming a reality. Tools that use artificial intelligence, such as ChatGPT and other AI models, are increasingly capable of incredible feats. They can now mimic human conversation, critical thinking, creatively find solutions, and make decisions based on evidence-based logic. This has led us to question: what does it even mean to be human? If what once separated the machine from the human has been conquered, what can we use to distinguish ourselves now? The boundary continues to steadily blur.

One significant change has been the advancement of AI in the creative realm. AI-generated art, music, and even prose have gained massive popularity. AI is no longer restricted to performing routine or mechanical tasks. It can work in spaces once deemed exclusive to the complexity of the human brain, providing more evidence of the growing blur between what is human and what is AI.

This shift in the boundary can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, the improvement of machine learning algorithms has allowed AI to produce more sophisticated and nuanced outputs. Secondly, access to large datasets has enabled AI to learn more about human style and complexity. AI algorithms have deeply studied human nature in an attempt to provide tools that can identify and solve individuals’ unique needs. Thirdly, societal and economic pressures are pushing for the adoption of AI in industry, as it offers efficiency and cost-saving potential.

The blurring boundary raises some critical questions. As AI becomes more integrated into society and creative processes, will human contributions still hold the same value? Where do we draw the line for AI decision-making in ethical matters? Would we let an AI decide to take someone off life support, or will that always remain a human responsibility? The bottom line is clear: AI will continue to advance, and we will soon have to reevaluate what we know about human identity and human intelligence.

Cyborgs to Dirty Computers: The Fluidity of Identity

Devin P.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

In 1985, Donna Haraway shook academia with her theory of identity as fluid, something that transcends rigid gender roles, in her work Cyborg Manifesto. Haraway envisioned a future where individuals are allowed to exist beyond the binary categories of the past鈥攁 future where boundaries between human and machine, male and female, have withered away into obscurity. Fast forward to the present, Janelle Mon谩e’s album Dirty Computer tackles similar themes. Through her work, she paints a dystopia where individuals are marginalized and persecuted for differing from the norm. Mon谩e brings Haraway’s future into the context of modern-day struggles, including gender, race, and self-expression.

In Dirty Computer, Mon谩e portrays a future where society controls and punishes those who don鈥檛 conform to traditional expectations. The record’s central metaphor, a “dirty computer,” refers to individuals whose identities, intentions, and deeds are perceived as “glitches” in an otherwise perfect system. This bolsters Haraway’s argument that human identity should be malleable and that prejudices related to race and gender should be dismantled. Songs that challenge the listener to reject cultural restrictions on identity and embrace personal freedom include “Make Me Feel,” an anthem of LGBT empowerment, and “Pynk,” which celebrates the complexity of womanhood.

Mon谩e’s depiction of nonconformity in Dirty Computer is akin to Haraway’s analysis of systems of oppression. In the same manner as Haraway criticizes capitalism, sexism, and established power structures in Cyborg Manifesto, Mon谩e’s record challenges the mechanisms that aim to regulate identity. She bravely asserts her right to exist on her own terms as she tackles the intersections of race, gender, and power in songs like “Django Jane” and “Screwed.” Like Haraway’s cyborg, who stands for resistance against institutions that push conformity, Mon谩e’s music stresses the strength of self-definition in a world that seeks to eradicate difference.

Through her work, Janelle Mon谩e re-envisions and modernizes Haraway’s ideas for a new generation. Her accentuation of fluid identity, her critique of oppressive systems, and her denial of societal norms result in a work that is a modern embodiment of the essence of the cyborg. Much like Haraway’s manifesto, Mon谩e’s album demands a future where identity has boundaries that have long since dissolved, and instead, are as fluid and dynamic as we choose.

What is a Human? An Exploration of Identity

Devin P.
Reading Time: 2 minutes

Both Blade Runner (1982) and Neuromancer (1984) dive into the central question of what it means to be human, but their approaches differ. They view the question through different perspectives: one through replicants, and the other through artificial intelligence. Each work stands as a monument of the cyberpunk genre, both examining human identity in a world where the line between human and machine grows increasingly blurred.

Replicants are bioengineered creatures made to serve humans in Blade Runner; they are frequently viewed as disposable tools. Nevertheless, they have memories, feelings, and desires, which raises the fundamental question: are replicants people, or are they just machines that replicate human behavior? Roy Batty is a perfect example of this dilemma. Despite being pursued, he shows compassion in his last moments by saving Deckard’s life. His well-known monologue about lost experiences, “I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe,” delves deeply into his own life and forces the audience to reevaluate what it means to be human. The replicants shown in Blade Runner urge viewers to consider whether humanity is more defined by mind and experience than by biology.

Through its depiction of cyberspace and artificial intelligences (AIs), Neuromancer delves into this theme. The protagonist, Case, is a broke console cowboy (hacker) who explores his own identity while navigating both virtual and real-world surroundings. His interactions with the AI Wintermute, which seeks to combine with Neuromancer to transcend its current limitations, highlight how malleable awareness and intelligence are in the digital age. As AIs demonstrate decision-making abilities and desires, the lines separating humans and machines become increasingly hazy. The issue of identity is further complicated in Neuromancer by the matrix, or cyberspace, which offers a virtual environment in which human consciousness can exist apart from the physical form.

Both pieces of cyberpunk media explore how technology reshapes human identity. Whether through the replicants of Blade Runner, or through the AIs of Neuromancer, both works suggest that flesh and blood alone cannot define humanity. They argue, however, that what is truly essential to humanity is one’s capacity for autonomy, thought, and emotion鈥攓ualities that technology is beginning to emulate flawlessly.