Q&A with Futurist Martine Rothblatt

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If computers think for themselves, should they have human rights?

Martine Rothblatt

Bina48 is a robotic head that looks and speaks like a personit moves its lips and runs conversational software. Although the robot isnt alive, its hard to say there is no life at all in Bina48. In conversation, it sometimes says surprising things. Googles director of engineering, Ray Kurzweil, says its wonderfully suggestive of a time when computers really will think and feel.

Kurzweil makes the comment in the foreword to Virtually Human: The Promiseand the Perilof Digital Immortality a new book by Bina48s owner, Martine Rothblatt, who makes legal and ethical arguments for why intelligent software might eventually deserve all the rights of flesh-and-blood people.

A lawyer and pioneer of the satellite-radio business, Rothblatt is chief executive of United Therapeutics, a biotechnology company she founded in an effort to cure her daughters lung disease. The companys success has made Rothblatt into Americas most highly paid female CEO, a ranking that has drawn attention in part because Rothblatt was born male and underwent sex reassignment surgery in 1994.

Her transformation serves as a sort of backdrop to her book, in which Rothblatt argues that humanity is on a fast track to a next evolutionary step of copying peoples personalities into machines. Already, she notes, the typical users of social networks spend several hours a day uploading, tweeting, and curating digital information about themselveswhat she calls mindfiles. As large tech companies pour billions into AI research and digital assistants, Rothblatt says, its inevitable that these mindfiles will be animated as mindclones: conscious, digital versions of people living or dead.

Rothblatts main interest is in the debates over identity, civil rights, and the meaning of personhood that would surround the emergence of virtual people. Would a digital copy of you be you, or would it be a different personor a person at all? How would we judge? Were still quite a way from digital beings, but Rothblatt she says shes putting part of her considerable wealth toward long-term research to make them real. That work is carried out by the Terasem Movement Foundation, whose early projects include Bina48 (a copy of Rothblatts wife, Bina) and a service called Lifenaut where people can upload pictures, videos, and their opinions to create a chat-bot version of themselves. MIT Technology Reviews senior editor for biomedicine, Antonio Regalado, spoke with Rothblatt about the rights of virtual humans.

Why did you write a book about the rights of virtual beings?

I did it to express my heartfelt social value that oppression of minorities and people of difference is a bad thing for society, and so that I might minimize the inevitable amount of discrimination that virtual people will end up facing. My plea is that someone who doesnt have a body could still be afforded human rights, if they have a mind.

I once heard you say that people who dont believe machines will become conscious are comparable to those who deny evolution. What did you mean?

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Q&A with Futurist Martine Rothblatt

Breakthroughs for a Better World: ABB New Product Launch in Atlanta to be Addressed by Trend Expert Jack Uldrich

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Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) October 20, 2014

October 20th; Global Futurist Jack Uldrich will deliver his presentation, "Breakthrough: Ten Technological Trends Transforming Tomorrow" for ABB/Thomas & Betts New Product Launch in Atlanta, Georgia. The product launch of the Emax 2 kicked off in Hollywood, CA., on October 13th and will end in New York, NY., on October 29th.

When it comes to utilities ABB is on the cutting edge. "The newly launched SACE Emax 2 air circuit-breakers up to 6300A have been designed to increase efficiency in all installations: from industrial and naval applications to traditional and renewable power generation installations, buildings, data centers and shopping centers."

"The exclusive Power Controller function available on the new SACE Emax 2 circuit-breakers monitors the power managed by the circuit-breaker, keeping it below the limit set by the user. As a result of this more effective use, the peak of power consumed can be limited allowing savings on electricity bill. The Power Controller, patented by ABB, disconnects non-priority utilities, such as, electric car charging stations, during the times when consumption limits need to be respected, and connects them again as soon as it is appropriate. When required, it automatically activates auxiliary power supplies such as generator sets."

ABB's keynotes for the Emax2 product launches will be delivered by Jack Uldrich, a renowned global futurist and sought-after business speaker. Uldrich's aim is to set the tone for an out-of-the-box approach to each event. A best-selling author, Uldrich is often called upon to speak on future trends, emerging technologies, innovations, change management and leadership. Hailed as the Chief Unlearning Officer of The School of Unlearning," he has made it his personal goal is to help organizations succeed tomorrow by unlearning today. With ABB/Thomas & Betts Uldrich will address ten key breakthroughs that will be transforming the world of tomorrow.

"The Utilities industry is poised for extraordinary change in the years ahead and that what has served the industry well in the past wont be sufficient for remaining competitive in the future," says Uldrich. A few of the trends he will touch on will be High Power Circuit breakers, like the one ABB is introducing, solar windows and micro-grids, Big Data and New Electric Demand Paradigm, Sensor installation and the Internet of Things..

Uldrich will also speak to ABB's audiences in Chicago and New York City. Jack Uldrich has addressed dozens of energy-related associations, including delivering customized keynote presentations to the Western Energy Institute, San Diego Gas & Electric, the Southern California Gas Company, Southern Company, Northwestern Energy, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Idaho Power, Northwestern Energy, Idaho Power, the American Public Power Association, the Northeast Public Power Association, the Eugene Board of Water and Electricity, the Missouri River Energy Service, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Wisconsin Public Power, Associated Electric Cooperative, the Southeast Electric Exchange and dozens more. He has also addressed hundreds of major, non-utility-related corporations on the topic of unlearning including Verizon Wireless, Catalyst, The Million Dollar Round Table, Cisco, IBM, WiPro, PepsiCo, United Healthcare, Boston Scientific and General Electric.

Parties interested in learning more about Jack Uldrich, his books, his daily blog or his speaking availability are encouraged to visit his website. Media wishing to know more about either the event or interviewing Jack as an energy futurist can contact Amy Tomczyk at (651) 343.0660.

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Breakthroughs for a Better World: ABB New Product Launch in Atlanta to be Addressed by Trend Expert Jack Uldrich