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 interยญfaceโโโa 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.
โAn 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://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โAPI
But could the same prinยญciple be applied to humans and machines?
Could we develยญop a biological/โelectrical 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:
โWhat if the mediยญum wasnโt 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 machineโโโand 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:
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.
โTranshumanism, 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. [โฆ] 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 โposthuยญmanโ.โ
Source: Wikipedia 2Transhumanism. (2023, October 29). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โTโrโaโnโsโhโuโmโaโnโism
Transhumanists foreยญsee a posthuยญman future, where aging, disยญease, cogยญnitยญive limยญits, and even morยญtalยญity are obstacles to be enginยญeered away. This visยญion often proยญvokes ethยญicยญal debatesโโโafter all, what does it mean to be human if we rewrite the funยญdaยญmentยญal rules of biology?
โTranshumanism 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://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ0โ0โ7โ/โ978โโโ3โ030โโโ54161-3_499
Popular culยญture has played with these ideas for decยญades. The concept of the cyborgโโโa hybrid of bioยญloยญgicยญal and artiยญfiยญcial sysยญtemsโโโwas 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 astroยญnautsโโโthey are already here.
โA 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://โwwwโ.bionโityโ.com/โeโnโ/โeโnโcโyโcโlโoโpโeโdโiโaโ/โCโyโbโoโrโgโ.โhโtml
The paraยญdox of transhumanยญism is that it exists beyยญond traยญdiยญtionยญal morยญal catยญegorยญies of โgoodโ or โbadโ. It is neither a utoยญpia nor a dystoยญpiaโโโit is simply what comes next.
โTranshumanism, 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, 1626โโโ2030. Zygon, 47, 757โโโ776. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ1โ1โ1โ/โJโ.โ1โ467โโโ9744.2012.01289.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 AIโs 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 humanยญityโโโwe 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 machineโโโor vice versa.
Learn more: The Human API
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Annotations
1 | API. (2023, November 23). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โAPI |
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2 | Transhumanism. (2023, October 29). In Wikipedia. https://โenโ.wikiโpeโdiaโ.org/โwโiโkโiโ/โTโrโaโnโsโhโuโmโaโnโism |
3 | Have, H., & Neves, M. (2021). Transhumanism (See Enhancement; Transplantation; Genetic Engineering). Dictionary of Global Bioethics. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ0โ0โ7โ/โ978โโโ3โ030โโโ54161-3_499 |
4 | Cyborg. (2023). Bionityโ.com. https://โwwwโ.bionโityโ.com/โeโnโ/โeโnโcโyโcโlโoโpโeโdโiโaโ/โCโyโbโoโrโgโ.โhโtml |
5 | Hughes, J. (2012). The Politics of Transhumanism and the Techno-Millennial Imagination, 1626โโโ2030. Zygon, 47, 757โโโ776. https://โdoiโ.org/โ1โ0โ.โ1โ1โ1โ1โ/โJโ.โ1โ467โโโ9744.2012.01289.X |