Since early 2024, I started to become more curious about deep technology, especially those that blur the line of what’s humanly possible. A conversation in April with David Jefferis, author of The Usborne Book of the Future, motivated me to connect more deeply with these ideas. One of the technologies we discussed was in the field of nano and bio, which he believes will reshape the boundaries of humanity.
By coincidence, at a conference in Boston, I met a PhD student named Yuna. She happened to share the same last name as Masataka Watanabe, a professor at the University of Tokyo working on mind-uploading technology, which I had discussed with David just a week before. Although they weren’t related, Yuna had studied at UTokyo and kindly offered to introduce me. After a few email exchanges between Yuna, Masataka, and me, I joined Masataka’s lab as an assistant in his mind-uploading research.
I want to briefly share what this research is about and some of my observations. Mind uploading focuses on transferring human consciousness to a machine while preserving both identity and subjective experience. The work focuses on understanding and replicating the intricate neural processes behind thoughts, memories, and awareness. Masataka is a proponent of functionalism, a school of thought in neuroscience that argues consciousness can emerge if the input-output characteristics of biological neurons are accurately replicated by artificial neurons. Below, I share key points summarizing my understanding of the research and how it works.
Fading Qualia
Gradually replace neurons with silicon- functional duplicates
If consciosness relies on material, experience will slowly change. If not, functional behavior remains intact.
Corpus Callosotomy
The corpus callosum is a bundle of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, enabling communication between them. Experiments with split-brain patients suggest that consciousness is not localized in either hemisphere but that both can operate independently. To test for machine consciousness, the proposal involves replacing a brain hemisphere with a mechanical counterpart; if the biological hemisphere can integrate visual information from the mechanical one, it would indicate that consciousness could exist in a machine.
Three Stages of Mind Uploading:
1. Constructing a Neutrally Conscious Machine: Create a machine that replicates the neural structure of the brain, starting with "neutral" consciousness.
2. Connecting and Integrating Consciousness: Use an invasive brain-machine interface (BMI) to link the biological brain with the machine and ensure seamless integration.
3. Transferring Memories: Gradually transfer the person's memories to the machine, ensuring continuity of self and subjective experience.
Neutrally Conscious Device
The neural device is a double-sided, two-dimensional array that allows for read-write access to axonal bundles. It will be pre-trained on generic data to create "generative models," which are neural algorithms capable of simulating various sensory inputs (visual, auditory, tactile). This pre-training, which includes learning foundational functions like spatial recognition, ensures the device understands basic principles before transferring specific data.Integrating Consciousness
By placing two-dimensional arrays in place of the corpus callosum, we can record and stimulate all axonal fibers connecting the cortical hemispheres. This enables precise control and monitoring of interhemispheric communication.Transferring Memories
Transferring memories ensures continuity of identity. Memories are encoded in synaptic connections that fire together. The neural device will record neuronal activity and recognize patterns, preserving those memory circuits for seamless transfer.
Although we're still in the early stages, Watanabe believes this technology could become a reality within our lifetime, potentially in the next 20 to 30 years.
If you're interested in this type of technology, I'd be happy to share more details and discuss my observations.