https://open.spotify.com/album/0jwnYwJz6XHNrVAYEclQPdIt’s awesome that Avenged Sevenfold became interested in AI and wrote an entire album that revolves around the idea. In an interview with Rolling Stone, lead singer M. Shadows says the initial interest came after reading Tim Urban’s article over at waitbutwhy. It’s one of the things (along with movies like Her and The Matrix of course) that spiked my interest in AI as well, so I’d highly recommend reading it. Tim does a phenomenal job of explaining the topic, current challenges engineers are facing, and the very possible implications of this technology.The term “artificial intelligence” was first coined half a century ago. Fast forward to today, where we have have giant companies like Intel and Apple acquiring AI startups like there’s no tomorrow. It’s not a matter of whether or not we’ll be able to create machines that surpass our own capabilities, but when.Theoretical physicist and futurist Dr. Michio Kaku thinks it is possible for machines as smart as us to exist by the end of the century. Google’s chief futurist, Ray Kurzweil, believes such technology will exist as soon as 2029. The band is right in wanting its fans, and the general public, to be more aware of these ideas — they could be right around the corner.I’m no expert, but I’d like to discuss the ideas behind some of the songs and include references in case you’d like to delve deeper. And if you want to read more on the possible future of AI, I’d recommend reading Kurzweil’s book The Singularity Is Near. Although some of his predictions have been met with skepticism, the ideas presented are thought-provoking.Simply put, nanomachines are microscopic machines that will enhance us in almost every way imaginable. They’ll be able to help our immune system fight off diseases. They would create super soldiers. This technology is actually at the center of a great game series, Metal Gear Solid. This “hack” in our biological makeup will also increase our lifespans. Kurzweil imagines a future where biotechnology is so advanced that we will live forever. This is the same idea behind the song “Paradigm”. Lyrics include:The song also raises the question of what it really means to be human. What do we become when we merge with machines? Will we lose what fundamentally makes us human? It can be argued that this “merge” is the next logical step in evolution, as there is no there is no evolutionary pressure for us to do so anymore. We’ll become, as Kurzweil puts it, “Godlike”.Expanding the brain’s neocortex will allow us, for example, to pose questions in our thoughts and know the answer almost immediately (most likely thanks to our direct “brain-to-Google” connection). We’ll always have witty jokes on hand, and learning Calculus will be as simple as purchasing downloadable content. Plug and play.Besides swapping out failing body parts with prosthetics and enhancing our brains, there’s another way we’ll be able to gain immortality. Both Dr. Kaku and Kurzweil firmly believe that the advances in brain-computer interfaces will eventually allow us to upload our consciousness to machines.Scientists still have no clue how the brain works, how the billions of neurons form connections that result in learned behavior, or what dreaming is. But once these secrets are known (which might never actually happen) and we know how our brain functions, as well as what the “consciousness switch” is, the possibilities are endless. To get an idea of what’s possible, check out Black Mirror’s episode Playtest. The brain-computer interface for the game is so advanced that the player can’t distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t. I don’t want to spoil anything, but get ready for a mind fuck. Black Mirror does a great job of weaving technology with a dystopia that we might inhabit, showing a darker side of our society. It’s on Netflix, so check it out.Elon Musk sure does. He claims that the chances of us living in “base reality” is one in billions. I’d recommend watching the 3-minute video. His logic is as follows: we had Pong some 40 years ago. Two rectangles and a dot were rendered on-screen for what we called a videogame. Today, we have games with realistic graphics and they keep getting better every year. Better yet, virtual and augmented reality are right around the corner, pushing the boundaries of gaming. Eventually, we’ll have the technology to create simulated worlds that are indistinguishable from reality. Therefore, Musk claims, it is likely that we are living in an ancestor simulation created by an advanced future civilization some 10,000 years from now.The album’s 7th song, “Simulation” explores the idea that our reality might not be what it seems. Think of it this way — the brain and nervous system which we use to automatically react to the environment around us is the same brain and nervous system which tells us what the environment is.Throughout the song, the “patient” is having thoughts that challenge the simulation they are living in. They are — in a sense — waking up. A darker voice, which I believe is meant to represent the ones running the show, has to reprimand the patient, reminding them that they “...only exist because we allow it”. To control the situation, the patient is to be sedated with blue comfort, a reference from The Matrix, which will make them forget they’re living in a simulation. Blissful ignorance.I won’t try to explain this one. Just watch the video. And here’s a quote from that man that might get your attention:Imagine an entity so intelligent......but that’s just it. You can’t imagine it. In the second part to his article on AI, Tim Urban compares this to a chimp being unable to understand a skyscraper is not just a part of its environment, but that humans built it. It’s not the chimp’s fault or anything, its brain is just not made to have that level of information processing.The same thing will happen when we build a machine with the collective knowledge of some 200,000 years of Homo Sapien existence. Therefore, there is no way to know what it will do or what the consequences will be. Tim depicts our situation with this entity, what he refers to as Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), beautifully:Mark Zuckerberg is right in saying we should be hopeful of the amount of good AI could do, but some of the smartest minds in existence are genuinely concerned. Stephen Hawking acknowledges that the successful creation of an AI will be the biggest event in history, but warns it could also end mankind. Elon Musk founded a research company OpenAI as a way to “neutralize the threat of a malicious artificial super-intelligence”.“Creating God” describes AI as a modern messiah, “the very last invention man would ever need”. It paints the picture of a utopia where this intelligence exists. At the same time, the song suggests that we could be “summoning the demon”, unable to control the outcomes. We could just be its stepping stone, as our existence after its creation becomes irrelevant.The album wraps up with a 15-minute eargasm. I can’t produce words that will do “Exist” any justice. As the band described it, it’s like listening to what the Big Bang might’ve sounded like. Neil deGrasse Tyson makes a cameo at the end of the song that serves as a reminder that our problems and conflicts are minuscule in the grand scheme of things. We’re all a part of the same universe and once we as a society realize this, we can truly make progress. Here’s the full thing:The Stage is an exceptional album, in my opinion. The band’s intentions were for fans to educate themselves, or be a bit more aware of what’s going on in this area. We can enjoy it as a rock album as well as explore the ideas behind the lyrics. I had an awesome time writing this, digging up things I’ve read and seen and unifying them in a way so others can hopefully become more interested as well. And come on, don’t tell me that the idea that we’re living in a simulation isn’t thought-provoking.Tap the ❤ button below :)My name’s Carlos and I generally write about personal development, tech, and entrepreneurship. Hit me up on Twitter!From a quick cheer to a standing ovation, clap to show how much you enjoyed this story.Software engineer. Focused on building cool shit on Ethereum 🚀