Virtually Human | Martine Rothblatt

Virtually Human: The Promise—and the Peril—of Digital Immortality

Extended Synopsis

Every day, social media is automatically uploading our thoughts, memories, preferences, beliefs, and history to a virtual existence, essentially creating a "mindfile" of ourselves. Thousands of software engineers across the globe are working on "mindware" to create from these mindfile personalities and humanlike consciousness in computer software, or cyberconsciousness. In the next decade or two, these efforts will result in the first digital copies of our identities, which will be our "mindclones."

In Virtually Human, Martine Rothblatt shares her insights into how cyberconsciousness will manifest in our lives, and what we need to consider when a new, high-tech population of mindclones awakens to the rights, privileges, and obligations humans take for granted. Conveying a profound understanding of how close we are to achieving a full simulation of the human brain via software and computer technology, the book raises numerous ethical and moral questions we absolutely need to address now, before the technology becomes commercially viable and accessible to all of us.

Accolades & Key Features

• Expert Introduction: Features a compelling foreword by renowned futurist and author Ray Kurzweil.
• Distinctive Artwork: Includes stylized conceptual illustrations by acclaimed artist Ralph Steadman.
• Forward-Thinking Dialogue: An essential companion book to the future of mankind, driving conversations on the ethics of AI and digital immortality.

Reader Targeting

• Technologists and futurists fascinated by the development of artificial intelligence and mind-uploading.
• Readers of philosophy and ethics looking to explore the moral implications of cyberconsciousness and digital rights.
• Anyone interested in biotechnology and the rapidly approaching intersection of human identity and software.

About the Author

Martine Rothblatt is a visionary entrepreneur, lawyer, and author recognized for her groundbreaking work in telecommunications and biotechnology. As the founder of Sirius XM and United Therapeutics, she has spent her career pushing the boundaries of technological innovation and exploring the profound philosophical questions surrounding human consciousness, artificial intelligence, and the future of human life.

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