The hot topic of the day is that scientists lead by Craig Venter, the man behind the Human Genome Project, have managed to create a lifeform with fully synthetic genes.
Aside from this being yet another nail in the coffin of superstitious beliefs in the divine origins of life, this also has enormous repercussions for how we view life. Not to mention the potential for medicine and, yes, artificial intelligence.
I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if artificial intelligence ends up containing synthetic biological components, or perhaps even be entirely made of synthetic life.
Perhaps Philip K. Dick’s vision of replicants – artificial humans – was accurate. Perhaps Blade Runner was more than just cinematic genius, it may have been a prophecy.