Real-life X-Men here in five years, says man paying to make it happen
A millionaire businessman is ploughing thousands of pounds into research he claims could help build a new mutant AI-enhanced race - that he predicts will walk among us in five years. Herbert Sim has been funding work through his tech start-up Neurochip.com exploring how AI technology can 'upgrade' humanity - potentially defeating disease and living longer than ever.
The research, which was originally launched alongside Prof Dmitry Mikhaylov, former National University of Singapore professor, involves a helmet 'reading' brainwaves and projecting them onto a computer. This in turn 'reads' and converts it into actions, with Herbert claiming the research proves there's no need for invasive surgery to implant computer chips into human brains.
The 38-year-old self-professed 'futurist' believes they will soon become a reality. Through this process, Herbert claims humans will be able to develop 'superpowers' through genetic and robotic modifications and help people live longer and battle disease.
Herbert, whose company is based in London, said: "Transhumanism is about transcending humanity through technology and science. Humanity has now reached a point where we are at a crossroads and we're trying to accept technology into our lives to enhance our lifestyles.
"Transhumanism can help to extend your life for 500 years and then it's amazing to think what we can achieve. People at the moment are saying it [mutants and animal-hybrids] are fantasy but there may be some truth to it.
"There is a reason every culture across the world all draws the same pictures of dragons and mythological creatures. Because of these very dominant [new] races, they will be better than humans in every single way. The humans that are left over, they will not be able to contribute to society as effectively as these transhumans, and this is when humanity will then become obsolete."
In the American superhero series X-Men, a mutant is a human being that possesses a genetic trait called the X-gene that develop into superhuman powers at puberty. Herbert claims the creation of animal-human hybrids or 'mutants' has already begun in Japan and are currently undergoing testing after the government approved controversial stem cell research in 2019.
Herbert, who made his fortune from bitcoin but also owns Transhumanism.com, said: "I think human hybrids will be coming into our world in the next five years. "In Japan they have already started animal-human hybrids and the government has approved these and they are already testing.
"All of this technology is here to help humans transcend and live longer. These are possible superpowers that humans can have through the use of genetic technology."
Alongside X-Men, Herbert says other Hollywood movies like Terminator and Bionic Woman show how transhumanism could develop. Herbert, who studied at Oklahoma City University in the US and the University of Wolverhampton in the UK, said: "All the Hollywood movies like Terminator and The Bionic Woman all stem from transhumanism and the world is moving towards transcending humanity.
"Technology is scary because whatever we as humans don't understand we think is magic. If you go back in time before mobile phones and explained the concept of them they would have thought it was crazy and magic.
"But we're the same way right now, this futuristic technology like robots is still very farfetched in people's minds as they don't think it's possible but the technology is already there. Now it is all about educating the public so we can live alongside this technology.
"At the moment, lots of people have only seen this technology in films and see it as a downfall but I believe it's our redemption. The way I see it is that technology and science are here to empower humans the same way medicines and phones are here to make our lives better."
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