{"682603":{"#nid":"682603","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Can You Upload a Human Mind Into a Computer? A Neuroscientist Ponders What\u2019s\u00a0Possible","body":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv class=\u0022theconversation-article-body\u0022\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Cblockquote\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIs it possible to upload the consciousness of your mind into a computer? \u2013 Amreen, age 15, New Delhi, India\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\u003Chr\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe concept, cool yet maybe a little creepy, is known as mind uploading. Think of it as a way to create a copy of your brain, a transmission of your mind and consciousness into a computer. There you would live digitally, perhaps forever. You\u2019d have an awareness of yourself, you\u2019d retain your memories and still feel like you. But you wouldn\u2019t have a body.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWithin that simulated environment, you could do anything you do in real life \u2013 eating, driving a car, playing sports. You could also do things impossible in the real world, like walking through walls, flying like a bird or traveling to other planets. The only limit is what science can realistically simulate.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDoable? Theoretically, mind uploading \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/us\/blog\/consciousness-and-beyond\/202402\/can-we-upload-our-minds-to-a-computer#:%7E\u0022\u003Eshould be possible\u003C\/a\u003E. Still, you may wonder how it could happen. After all, researchers have \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/alleninstitute.org\/news\/why-is-the-human-brain-so-difficult-to-understand-we-asked-4-neuroscientists\/\u0022\u003Ebarely begun to understand the brain\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYet science has a track record of turning theoretical possibilities into reality. Just because a concept seems terribly, unimaginably difficult doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s impossible. Consider that science took humankind to the Moon, sequenced the human genome and eradicated smallpox. Those things too were once considered unlikely.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=tAaE5jIAAAAJ\u0026amp;hl=en\u0022\u003EAs a brain scientist who studies perception\u003C\/a\u003E, I fully expect mind uploading to one day be a reality. But as of today, we\u2019re nowhere close.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ELiving in a Laptop\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe brain is often regarded as the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/the-brain-is-the-most-complicated-object-in-the-universe-this-is-the-story-of-scientists-quest-to-decode-it-and-read-peoples-minds-222458#:%7E\u0022\u003Emost complex object in the known universe\u003C\/a\u003E. Replicating all that complexity will be extraordinarily difficult.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne requirement: The uploaded brain needs the same inputs it always had. In other words, the external world must be available to it. Even cloistered inside a computer, you would still need a simulation of your senses, a reproduction of the ability to see, hear, smell, touch, feel \u2013 as well as move, blink, detect your heart rate, set your circadian rhythm and do thousands of other things.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut why is that? Couldn\u2019t you just exist in a pure mental bubble, inside the computer without sensory input?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDepriving people of their senses, like putting them in total darkness, or in a room without sound, is known as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iflscience.com\/what-happens-to-your-brain-under-sensory-deprivation-71759\u0022\u003Esensory deprivation\u003C\/a\u003E, and it\u2019s regarded as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/encyclopedia.uia.org\/problem\/torture-through-sensory-deprivation\u0022\u003Ea form of torture\u003C\/a\u003E. People who have trouble sensing their bodily signals \u2013 thirst, hunger, pain, an itch \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/magazine.hms.harvard.edu\/articles\/making-sense-interoception\u0022\u003Eoften have mental health challenges\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat\u2019s why for mind uploading to work, the simulation of your senses and the digital environment you\u2019re in must be exceptionally accurate. Even minor distortions could have serious mental consequences.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFor now, researchers don\u2019t have the computing power, much less the scientific knowledge, to perform such simulations.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe width=\u0022440\u0022 height=\u0022260\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2DWnvx1NYUA?wmode=transparent\u0026amp;start=0\u0022 frameborder=\u00220\u0022 allowfullscreen=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003ENew and updated scanning technology is a necessity.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EScanning billions of pinheads\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe first task for a successful mind upload: Scanning, then mapping the complete 3D structure of the human brain. This requires the equivalent of an \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/magazine.columbia.edu\/article\/machine-can-read-your-mind\u0022\u003Eextraordinarily sophisticated MRI machine\u003C\/a\u003E that could detail the brain in an advanced way. At the moment, scientists are only at the very early stages of brain mapping \u2013 which includes the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c0lw0nxw71po\u0022\u003Eentire brain of a fly\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/brain-map-neurons-alzheimers-autism-1a4e9db0a86c082e10da9c154546c592\u0022\u003Etiny portions of a mouse brain\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn a few decades, a complete map of the human brain \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2018\/03\/13\/144721\/a-startup-is-pitching-a-mind-uploading-service-that-is-100-percent-fatal\/\u0022\u003Emay be possible\u003C\/a\u003E. Yet even capturing the identities of all \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/scitable\/blog\/brain-metrics\/are_there_really_as_many\/\u0022\u003E86 billion neurons\u003C\/a\u003E, all smaller than a pinhead, plus their \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/hms.harvard.edu\/news\/new-field-neuroscience-aims-map-connections-brain\u0022\u003Etrillions of connections\u003C\/a\u003E, still isn\u2019t enough. Uploading this information by itself into a computer won\u2019t accomplish much. That\u2019s because each neuron \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.verywellmind.com\/what-is-brain-plasticity-2794886\u0022\u003Econstantly adjusts its functioning\u003C\/a\u003E, and that has to be modeled, too.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s hard to know how many levels down researchers must go to make the simulated brain work. Is it enough to stop at the molecular level? Right now, no one knows.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigure\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ciframe width=\u0022440\u0022 height=\u0022260\u0022 src=\u0022https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XmQOW9udaQ0?wmode=transparent\u0026amp;start=0\u0022 frameborder=\u00220\u0022 allowfullscreen=\u0022\u0022\u003E\u003C\/iframe\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cfigcaption\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022caption\u0022\u003ETechnological immortality comes with significant ethical concerns.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/figcaption\u003E\u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Ch2\u003E2045? 2145? Or Later?\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EKnowing \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/magazine.columbia.edu\/article\/your-beautiful-brain\u0022\u003Ehow the brain computes things\u003C\/a\u003E might provide a shortcut. That would let researchers simulate only the essential parts of the brain, and not all biological idiosyncrasies. It\u2019s easier to manufacture a new car knowing how a car works, compared to attempting to scan and replicate an existing car without any knowledge of its inner workings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, this approach requires that scientists figure out how the brain creates thoughts \u2013 how collections of thousands to millions of neurons come together to perform the computations that make the human mind come alive. It\u2019s hard to express how very far we are from this.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHere\u2019s another way: Replace the 86 billion real neurons with artificial ones, one at a time. That approach would make mind uploading much easier. Right now, though, scientists can\u2019t replace even a single real neuron with an artificial one.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut keep in mind the pace of technology \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/singularityhub.com\/2016\/03\/22\/technology-feels-like-its-accelerating-because-it-actually-is\/\u0022\u003Eis accelerating exponentially\u003C\/a\u003E. It\u2019s reasonable to expect spectacular improvements in computing power and artificial intelligence in the coming decades.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne other thing is certain: Mind uploading will certainly have no problem finding funding. Many billionaires appear \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/story\/upload-your-mind-or-alter-genetics-powerful-billionaires-are-pouring-money-into-life-extending-technology-and-they-just-might-succeed-6e1042f4\u0022\u003Eglad to part with lots of their money\u003C\/a\u003E for a shot at living forever.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the challenges are enormous and the path forward uncertain, I believe that one day, mind uploading will be a reality. The most optimistic forecasts pinpoint \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/bigthink.com\/the-well\/will-humanity-become-digitally-immortal\/\u0022\u003Ethe year 2045\u003C\/a\u003E, only 20 years from now. Others say the end of this century.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut in my mind, both of these predictions are probably too optimistic. I would be shocked if mind uploading works in the next 100 years. But it might happen in 200 \u2013 which means the first person to live forever could be born in your lifetime.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article is republished from \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe Conversation\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E under a Creative Commons license. Read the \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/can-you-upload-a-human-mind-into-a-computer-a-neuroscientist-ponders-whats-possible-250764\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eoriginal article\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C!-- Below is The Conversation\u0027s page counter tag. 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Grafissimo\/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images","body":"\u003Cp\u003EThe human brain has 86 billion neurons that make trillions of connections. \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/illustration\/deep-learning-infographic-of-artificial-royalty-free-illustration\/1491734573\u0022\u003EGrafissimo\/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1748618344","gmt_created":"2025-05-30 15:19:04","changed":"1748618344","gmt_changed":"2025-05-30 15:19:04","alt":"The human brain has 86 billion neurons that make trillions of connections. Grafissimo\/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images","file":{"fid":"261028","name":"file-20250401-56-xtg5s5.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/30\/file-20250401-56-xtg5s5.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/05\/30\/file-20250401-56-xtg5s5.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":354915,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/05\/30\/file-20250401-56-xtg5s5.jpg?itok=PnvRjnbD"}}},"media_ids":["677159"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/can-you-upload-a-human-mind-into-a-computer-a-neuroscientist-ponders-whats-possible-250764","title":"Read This Article on The Conversation"}],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"66220","name":"Neuro"},{"id":"443951","name":"School of Psychology"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"172970","name":"go-neuro"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"193656","name":"Neuro Next Initiative"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003EAuthor:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/dobromir-rahnev-2332781\u0022\u003EDobromir Rahnev\u003C\/a\u003E, associate professor of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5\u003EMedia Contact:\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShelley Wunder-Smith\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:shelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Eshelley.wunder-smith@research.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}