The Human API

Enter the cybernetic renaissance.

Cover photo: @jerrysilfwer

Are we en route to a human API?

Are we already merยญging with machines, or is that just a sci-fi deluยญsion? The lines between humans and techยญnoยญlogy are blurยญring at an accelยญerยญatยญing pace, pushยญing us toward a future where bioยญloยญgicยญal and digitยญal sysยญtems are deeply integrated. 

But what would it mean if we became the interยญfaceโ€‰โ€”โ€‰a human API, dirยญectly linked to the ever-expandยญing digitยญal ecosystem?

Here we go:

The Human API

An Application Programming Interface (API) proยญtocol in softยญware develยญopยญment allows difยญferยญent sysยญtems to comยญmuยญnicยญate. It enables seamยญless interยญacยญtion between proยญgrams and defines how informยญaยญtion flows between them. 

โ€œAn applicยญaยญtion proยญgramยญming interยญface (API) is a proยญtocol intenยญded to be used as an interยญface by softยญware comยญponยญents to comยญmuยญnicยญate with each othยญer. An API may include speยญcificยญaยญtions for routines, data strucยญtures, object classes, and variยญables.โ€
Source: Wikipedia 1API. (2023, November 23). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹API

But could the same prinยญciple be applied to humans and machines? 

Could we develยญop a biological/โ€‹electrical interยญface allowยญing real-time, bidยญirecยญtionยญal data exchange between the human brain and digitยญal networks?

Even pubยญlic relaยญtions visยญionยญary Brian Solis has explored the idea of the human API. Speaking at Le Web in Paris, he argued:

โ€œWhat if the mediยญum wasnโ€™t just the device, the mediยญum was us? At the cenยญter of the IoT and Big Data are the very people who fuel the conยญstant exchange of informยญaยญtion. At the same time, it creยญates a human netยญwork, where we become nodes and the informยญaยญtion that ties togethยญer people and devices feed new experยญiยญences and changes our behaยญviour over time.โ€
โ€” Brian Solis

Once purely theยญorยญetยญicยญal, this concept is no longer the domain of sciยญence ficยญtion; we are becomยญing part of the machineโ€‰โ€”โ€‰and the machine is becomยญing part of us.

The Merging of Human and Machine

The traยญjectยญory of techยญnoยญloยญgicยญal proยญgress sugยญgests that this integยญraยญtion is inevยญitยญable. We are already augยญmentยญing our natยญurยญal capยญabยญilยญitยญies with techยญnoยญloยญgies that enhance cogยญniยญtion, memory, decision-makยญing, and physยญicยญal ability. 

Consider the folยญlowยญing develยญopยญments that are inchยญing us toward a transhuman future:

  • The Internet. Connecting humans across time and space, disยญmantยญling geoยญgraphยญicยญal limitations.
  • Cloud comยญputยญing. Granting indiยญviduยญals seamยญless access to colยญlectยญive intelยญliยญgence and storage.
  • Augmented realยญity (AR) and virยญtuยญal realยญity (VR). Creating digitยญal spaยญtial envirยญonยญments that extend human perception.
  • The Internet of Things (IoT). Embedding intelยญliยญgence into the physยญicยญal world, makยญing objects interactive.
  • The Internet of Brains. Early experยญiยญments in brain-to-brain and brain-to-machine interfacing.
  • The Quantified Self moveยญment. Tracking and anaยญlysยญing oneโ€™s own bioยญloยญgicยญal and psyยญchoยญloยญgicยญal markers.
  • Data minยญing and big data. Extracting insights from human behaยญviยญor on an unpreยญcedยญenยญted scale.
  • Neural netยญworks, machine learnยญing, and artiยญfiยญcial intelยญliยญgence. Simulating human thought and learnยญing at comยญpuยญtaยญtionยญal speeds.
  • Quantum comยญputยญing. Pushing the boundยญarยญies of comยญpuยญtaยญtion, creยญatยญing unimaยญginยญable posยญsibยญilยญitยญies for cognition.

These advances raise funยญdaยญmentยญal questions: 

Are we extendยญing human experยญiยญence with techยญnoยญlogy, or is techยญnoยญlogy advanยญcing through us? Are we buildยญing a betยญter world or simply trainยญing the machines to replace us?

Transhumanism: The Inevitable Evolution?

 Transhumanism is the belief that humanยญity should enhance itself through sciยญence and techยญnoยญlogy, overยญcome bioยญloยญgicยญal limยญitยญaยญtions, and redesign the human experience. 

โ€œTranshumanism, abbreยญviยญated as H+ or h+, is an interยญnaยญtionยญal intelยญlecยญtuยญal and culยญturยญal moveยญment that affirms the posยญsibยญilยญity and desirabยญilยญity of funยญdaยญmentยญally transยญformยญing the human conยญdiยญtion by develยญopยญing and makยญing widely availยญable techยญnoยญloยญgies to elimยญinยญate ageยญing and to greatly enhance human intelยญlecยญtuยญal, physยญicยญal, and psyยญchoยญloยญgicยญal capaยญcitยญies. [โ€ฆ] Transhumanist thinkers study the potenยญtial beneยญfits and dangers of emerยญging techยญnoยญloยญgies that could overยญcome funยญdaยญmentยญal human limยญitยญaยญtions, as well as study the ethยญicยญal matยญters involved in develยญopยญing and using such techยญnoยญloยญgies. They preยญdict that human beings may evenยญtuยญally be able to transยญform themยญselves into beings with such greatly expanยญded abilยญitยญies as to merยญit the label โ€˜posthuยญmanโ€™.โ€
Source: Wikipedia 2Transhumanism. (2023, October 29). In Wikipedia. https://โ€‹enโ€‹.wikiโ€‹peโ€‹diaโ€‹.org/โ€‹wโ€‹iโ€‹kโ€‹iโ€‹/โ€‹Tโ€‹rโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹sโ€‹hโ€‹uโ€‹mโ€‹aโ€‹nโ€‹ism

Transhumanists foreยญsee a posthuยญman future, where aging, disยญease, cogยญnitยญive limยญits, and even morยญtalยญity are obstacles to be enginยญeered away. This visยญion often proยญvokes ethยญicยญal debatesโ€‰โ€”โ€‰after all, what does it mean to be human if we rewrite the funยญdaยญmentยญal rules of biology?

โ€œTranshumanism advocยญates for the advanceยญment of sciยญence and techยญnoยญlogy to overยญcome human limยญitยญaยญtions and proยญmotes the develยญopยญment of new bioยญtechยญnoยญloยญgies to enhance human potenยญtial.โ€
Source: Dictionary of Global Bioethics 3Have, H., & Neves, M. (2021). Transhumanism (See Enhancement; Transplantation; Genetic Engineering). Dictionary of Global Bioethics. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹0โ€‹7โ€‹/โ€‹978โ€‰โ€“โ€‰3โ€‘030โ€‰โ€“โ€‰54161-3_499

Popular culยญture has played with these ideas for decยญades. The concept of the cyborgโ€‰โ€”โ€‰a hybrid of bioยญloยญgicยญal and artiยญfiยญcial sysยญtemsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰was first coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline. They enviยญsioned self-regยญuยญlatยญing human-machine sysยญtems designed to surยญvive the harsh envirยญonยญments of space. But today, cyborgs are no longer just a concept for astroยญnautsโ€‰โ€”โ€‰they are already here.

โ€œA cyborg is a cyberยญnetยญic organยญism (i.e. an organยญism that is a self-regยญuยญlatยญing integยญraยญtion of artiยญfiยญcial and natยญurยญal sysยญtems). The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan Kline used it in an artยญicle about the advantยญages of self-regยญuยญlatยญing human-machine sysยญtems in outยญer space.โ€
Source: Bionityโ€‹.com 4Cyborg. (2023). Bionityโ€‹.com. https://โ€‹wwwโ€‹.bionโ€‹ityโ€‹.com/โ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹/โ€‹eโ€‹nโ€‹cโ€‹yโ€‹cโ€‹lโ€‹oโ€‹pโ€‹eโ€‹dโ€‹iโ€‹aโ€‹/โ€‹Cโ€‹yโ€‹bโ€‹oโ€‹rโ€‹gโ€‹.โ€‹hโ€‹tml

The paraยญdox of transhumanยญism is that it exists beyยญond traยญdiยญtionยญal morยญal catยญegorยญies of โ€œgoodโ€ or โ€œbadโ€. It is neither a utoยญpia nor a dystoยญpiaโ€‰โ€”โ€‰it is simply what comes next.

โ€œTranshumanism, a modยญern form of Enlightenment techno-utoยญpiยญanยญism, has evolved into diverse subยญsects, with potenยญtial for violยญent conยญfrontยญaยญtion as techยญnoยญloยญgicยญal innovยญaยญtion and human enhanceยญment threaten the future of humanยญity.โ€
Source: Zygon 5Hughes, J. (2012). The Politics of Transhumanism and the Techno-Millennial Imagination, 1626โ€‰โ€“โ€‰2030. Zygon, 47, 757โ€‰โ€“โ€‰776. https://โ€‹doiโ€‹.org/โ€‹1โ€‹0โ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹1โ€‹/โ€‹Jโ€‹.โ€‹1โ€‹467โ€‰โ€“โ€‰9744.2012.01289.X

The Cybernetic Renaissance

We are in the midst of a cyberยญnetยญic renaisยญsance, a hisยญtorยญicยญal moment in which humans and machines are conยญverยญging in once unimaยญginยญable ways. Like every techยญnoยญloยญgicยญal shift before it, this transยญformยญaยญtion is met with both exciteยญment and fear.

Public anxiยญety over techยญnoยญlogy-induced stress, priยญvacy conยญcerns, brain alterยญaยญtions, and AI conยญtrol reflects a techยญlash reminยญisยญcent of past sociยญetยญal reacยญtions to indusยญtriยญal revoluยญtions. Some argue for legisยญlatยญive restricยญtions to slow down AIโ€™s proยญgress, while othยญers sugยญgest outยญright bans on advanced bioยญhackยญing, neurยญal implants, and AI-drivยญen decision-making.

And yet, if hisยญtory teaches us anyยญthing,  techยญnoยญlogy nevยญer moves backยญward. No civilยญisaยญtion has ever willยญingly givยญen up an advanceยญment that extends power, conยญnectivยญity, or longevยญity. The fear of a mediยญevยญal cyborg dystoยญpia is a comยญpelยญling narยญratยญive, but I believe someยญthing far grander is unfolding.

We are not losยญing our humanยญityโ€‰โ€”โ€‰we are tranยญscendยญing it.

If the digitยญal informยญaยญtion revoluยญtion reshaped how we interยญact with knowยญledge, the rise of the human API may redefine what it means to be human entirely. Whether we embrace this shift or resยญist it, one thing is sure:

We are already becomยญing part of the machineโ€‰โ€”โ€‰or vice versa.

Learn more: The Human API


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Jerry Silfwer
Jerry Silfwerhttps://doctorspin.net/
Jerry Silfwer, alias Doctor Spin, is an awarded senior adviser specialising in public relations and digital strategy. Currently CEO at Spin Factory and KIX Communication Index. Before that, he worked at Whispr Group NYC, Springtime PR, and Spotlight PR. Based in Stockholm, Sweden.

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