This blog post explores how the boundaries of the human body, cognitive abilities, and even ‘humanity’ itself will shift when biotechnology and artificial intelligence merge, examining both the possibilities and dangers of the approaching post-human era.
“By 2100, modern humans will have disappeared.” Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens, states that Homo sapiens will face extinction in the not-too-distant future. Simultaneously, he asserts that humanity will undergo continuous evolution. While these two propositions may seem contradictory at first glance, they actually point in the same direction. Extinction and evolution – what exactly is the author trying to convey?
Humankind has undergone continuous evolution since the Australopithecus in southern Africa approximately 2.5 million years ago. Around 70,000 years ago, the emergence of complex language enabling creative thought marked the true beginning of human history. Then, about 12,000 years ago, the Agricultural Revolution occurred, leading humans to begin permanent settlement. Yet despite these innovations, humanity has not entirely escaped the biologically determined framework of nature—the limits imposed on living beings by evolution. However, the story changes in the 21st century. Humanity is reaching a stage where it seeks to alter the very laws of life itself—through biotechnology, cyborg engineering that combines living and non-living matter, or entirely non-living computer engineering.
In truth, even before the modern era, humanity persistently attempted to break free from the framework of life. Following the agricultural revolution, humans realized they could create livestock bloodlines possessing desired traits through selective breeding. Representative methods included breeding cattle or pigs with superior taste to obtain better breeds, or mating the fastest racehorses to produce even faster ones. However, these methods were always confined within the range of existing genes, making it impossible to introduce entirely new traits not present in the genetic information. What made this possible is precisely “biotechnology.” This signifies that humanity has reached a stage beyond mere biological observation, where it can systematically and intelligently design living organisms.
Currently, genetic engineering experiments are primarily confined to plants, fungi, bacteria, and insects. Using this technology, bacteria capable of mass-producing insulin were developed by combining genes from E. coli and fungi. Success was also achieved in creating potato varieties resistant to severe frost by inserting genes extracted from Arctic fish. Today, precision gene editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas9 and prime editing have emerged, enabling the sophisticated correction of specific genetic defects or the conferral of entirely new biological properties. In other words, current genetic engineering has already surpassed the level of merely enabling mass production of specific substances or inserting genes from entirely different life forms to achieve new effects. If this trend is applied directly to humans, it becomes entirely conceivable that inserting specific genes could drastically extend lifespan, strengthen immunity against disease, and significantly enhance intellectual and emotional capabilities.
Furthermore, cyborg engineering, which combines biological and non-biological elements, is also advancing in a direction that fundamentally alters the laws of life. Humans already augment their senses and cognitive functions through devices like glasses, computers, and mobile phones. Taking this further, humans will integrate inorganic devices into their bodies as inseparable parts. Currently, prosthetic limbs using bionic technology allow arms to move through conscious commands alone, and brain-computer interface technology, which analyzes brainwaves in real-time for direct machine connection, is advancing rapidly. After the 2020s, experimental attempts using neural interfaces will become widespread, making the possibility of direct connections between the human brain and machine systems a subject of increasingly realistic discussion.
There is also a trend aiming to create entirely non-living entities to escape the laws of life. If we can develop programs capable of self-learning and evolution, they will determine their own learning paths and evolutionary methods beyond the programmer’s intent. Computer viruses already replicate, mutate, and proliferate autonomously within global networks. Furthermore, the emergence of generative AI in the 2020s demonstrated that machines can now operate at or beyond human levels in diverse fields such as creation, natural language processing, problem-solving, and image generation.
How would the situation change if such technology surpasses a certain singularity—reaching a stage where it could alter the laws of life? If genetic engineering technology were to effectively extend human lifespan indefinitely and significantly enhance intellectual and emotional capabilities, could we still call such beings Homo sapiens? Furthermore, what form would humanity take if it merged with inorganic entities to transcend organic limitations? If a human body were replaced by mechanical devices, granting the strength to effortlessly lift a three-ton truck, could that entity still be considered a human? Going further, if a program could think independently, feel emotions, and become self-aware, would that entity constitute a distinct personality and belong within the category of “humanity”? Moreover, if one could store their brain in a computer and run it, and the result thought and acted in a manner perfectly identical to themselves, it would become difficult to judge whether that should be called ‘themselves’ or simply a program. An entity with such characteristics would likely be more appropriately called a superhuman, evolved beyond Homo sapiens.
Ultimately, the end of modern humans is no different from the birth of a new humanity. Humankind has undergone gradual evolution within the laws of life for millions of years, but now stands at the threshold of altering those laws themselves. The singularity will inevitably arrive someday, and humanity must deliberate and discuss in preparation for that day. For if we are the generation that first breaks that framework, the values and choices of the generation that creates this superhuman could fundamentally alter the direction future humanity will take. Whether this singularity arrives in the near future remains unknown, but the likelihood of humanity abandoning such attempts forever is close to zero. We must contemplate and prepare more deeply for the day when Homo sapiens ends and a new humanity begins.
