Experts see path to eternal life unfolding as early 2050

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

Scientists predict that in just 25 years we will have technology allowing humankind to live forever.
They say we're on the cusp of knowledge that will make immortality possible, with aging becoming a curable disease by 2050 and AI allowing mergers between humans and bots.
This could conceivably allow humans to live to 1,000 years and beyond, they claim.
In Silicon Valley, entrepreneurs such as Bryan Johnson follow intense routines, like his 'Blueprint' plan, to slow or reverse aging, and companies like Altos Labs are testing treatments that have already extended the lives of mice.
Three visionaries stand out in this quest: futurologist Dr Ian Pearson, Google 's Ray Kurzweil, and biomedical researcher Aubrey de Grey.
Pearson predicts that by 2050, the wealthy will use advanced tech to live forever, perhaps by uploading their minds to computers or android bodies.
Kurzweil believes that by 2029, artificial intelligence (AI) will match human intelligence, starting a merger between humans and machines that leads to immortality by 2045.
Meanwhile, De Grey argues medical advances could make aging a curable disease by 2050, allowing people to live to 1,000 or beyond.
Each of the next three breakthroughs offers a different path to immortality. They're not just about living longer - they're about changing what it means to be human.
2050: Immortality for the Elite
By 2050, the wealthiest people could achieve immortality through a mix of cutting-edge technologies, predicts futurologist Pearson.
He has suggested that advances in computing, genetic engineering, and robotics will let people live forever, either in enhanced bodies or as digital minds.
'By 2050, it will only really be for the rich and famous,' Pearson said, noting these technologies will start expensive but become affordable by the 2060s for middle-class people.
Pearson also envisioned a world where medical treatments fix deadly conditions, like heart disease or cancer, before they become fatal.
Genetic engineering could reverse aging, keeping cells young and healthy. Meanwhile, technologies like brain-computer interfaces might let people 'upload' their minds into virtual reality or android bodies.
'This would allow people to have multiple existences and identities, or to carry on living long after their biological death,' Pearson explained.
Although only the ultra-rich will be able to afford these breakthroughs at first, Pearson is optimistic that anyone under the age of 50 has got a good chance of affording this in their lifetime, and anyone under 40 will almost definitely have access to immortality.
His vision depends on technologies already in development, like 3D-printed organs and AI-driven medicine, scaling up dramatically in the next few decades.
2029: The Dawn of Human-Machine Hybrids
By 2029, artificial intelligence will match human intelligence, kicking off a new era where humans merge with machines, according to Ray Kurzweil, a renowned futurist and former Google engineer.
Kurzweil, who accurately predicted computers beating chess champions and the rise of smartphones, believes this milestone will lead to immortality by 2045, a point he calls 'The Singularity.'
Kurzweil has predicted that AI will transform society, making necessities like food and housing cheaper and connecting human brains to the cloud via devices like Elon Musk's Neuralink.
'A key capability in the 2030s will be to connect the upper ranges of our neocortices to the cloud, which will directly extend our thinking,' he wrote in the 2024 book The Singularity Is Nearer.
According to Kurzweil, this merger will multiply human intelligence millions of times, letting us solve problems faster and live in new ways.
By 2045, the futurist said humans could become cyborgs, capable of copying their minds or downloading into new bodies printed with advanced tech.
'Rather than AI being a competitor, it will become an extension of ourselves,' he explained.
This vision starts in 2029, when AI reaches human levels of ability, setting the stage for a future where immortality means becoming part machine, part human.
2050: Curing Aging Like a Disease
Aubrey de Grey, a Cambridge-educated scientist with a striking two-foot beard, believes aging is a disease we can cure.
Through his Longevity Escape Velocity Foundation, de Grey has researched ways to repair the body's cells, potentially letting people live to 1,000. He's famously said the first person to reach 1,000 has already been born.
De Grey's approach, called 'integrative rejuvenation,' uses multiple treatments to fix cellular damage, like clearing out harmful waste or repairing DNA.
If medical advances keep pace with aging, humans could reach 'longevity escape velocity,' where life expectancy grows faster than time passes.
'Aging is a disease,' de Grey argued, saying that we should treat it like we treat cancer or diabetes.
Other experts, like Dr Andrew Steele, author of Ageless, have agreed that new drugs like senolytics could lead to healthier aging, even if not full immortality.
Senolytics are a new class of drug designed to eliminate dead, 'zombie cells' from the body before they accumulate and contribute to harmful inflammation.
'We're at a point where we understand enough about the process that we can start to try to intervene,' Steele said.
By 2050, de Grey's vision could make death from aging a thing of the past, offering a medical path to eternal life.