I’d be worried about the loss of memories and previously learned abilities that would come along with “increasing die-off of old cells”.
Also, there isn’t really much extra room in the brain for these new neurons to go. So unless they were somehow a lot smaller I think you’d have to basically replace existing brain tissue with them.
It’s an interesting idea. It seems likely to be substantially more invasive than what I have in mind for the gene editing treatment, but if it actually worked that wouldn’t necessarily be a huge concern.
Might be a more universal solution too if we could come up with a single or small variety of options for a ‘super’ brain optimising added chromosome.
The thing about large scale interventions like “adding a new chromosome” is that it’s going to be much harder to generalize from existing people what the effects will be.
If we got this technology working REALLY welll, like 99% editing efficiency and no immune issues with redosing, then we could probably try out adding new genes in randomized control trials and then slowly assemble a new chromosome out of those new genes. But I don’t know when or even if we’ll reach that point with this tech.
In the long run digital intelligence will win, and if we miraculously solve alignment and have any agency, we’ll probably just be digital uploads.
I’d be worried about the loss of memories and previously learned abilities that would come along with “increasing die-off of old cells”.
Also, there isn’t really much extra room in the brain for these new neurons to go. So unless they were somehow a lot smaller I think you’d have to basically replace existing brain tissue with them.
It’s an interesting idea. It seems likely to be substantially more invasive than what I have in mind for the gene editing treatment, but if it actually worked that wouldn’t necessarily be a huge concern.
The thing about large scale interventions like “adding a new chromosome” is that it’s going to be much harder to generalize from existing people what the effects will be.
If we got this technology working REALLY welll, like 99% editing efficiency and no immune issues with redosing, then we could probably try out adding new genes in randomized control trials and then slowly assemble a new chromosome out of those new genes. But I don’t know when or even if we’ll reach that point with this tech.
In the long run digital intelligence will win, and if we miraculously solve alignment and have any agency, we’ll probably just be digital uploads.