Anti-Aging
| Following the recent announcement by Google founder Larry Page that the company will be providing major funding to anti-aging research through a new company, Calico, Ben Goertzel and Adam Ford discussed the consequences and benefits of the move. |
In light of recent announcement by Google founder Larry Page that the company will be providing major funding to anti-aging research through a new company, Calico, Ben Goertzel and Adam Ford discussed the consequences.
Goertzel suggests that Google's anti-aging initiative may actually do more to increase the public acceptance of anti-aging research than actually create treatments, however this may be a good thing.
"Google, by virtue of who they are and what they've achieved, has a massive ability any time they make an announcement to create interest in a space that had not existed," echoed Owen Tripp, co-founder and CEO of Grand Rounds, a global network of medical experts.
Plainly speaking, when Google does it, you know it's big. Even Apple's Tim Cook was part of the announcement.
"When Google as a software beacon said, 'This is a problem we want to take on next,' even if they massively face plant, they will have raised awareness and attracted people who are currently spending time and talent on other projects," Tripp said. "This is possibly the biggest thing in health IT in the last five years."
For his part, Goertzel remains commited to the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI) as a path to increasing human lifespans. Through advanced intelligences it is postulated that new treatments, remedies and prevention methods will be easier to develop and implement.
In TIME Magazines recent Tech Exclusive Google vs. Death, Page announced Calico, a new Google firm focusing on the challenges of healthcare, aging and associated diseases.
| Related articles |
"Google has greater consumer reach than any other company on Earth," said Josh Stevens, CEO at Keas, an employee wellness technology firm. "No company has both greater consumer access and greater resources to throw at challenging opportunities like healthcare than Google."
After speaking at a Google Tech Talk in Mountain View last month, SENS Research Foundation co-founder and CSO Aubrey de Grey was asked to opine on the news in a response at TIME, also published.
"The 'beginning of the beginning' of the war on aging began in the 1990s. Since then, the battle for hearts and minds as to that quest's feasibility has been proceeding at full tilt. With Google's decision to direct its resources toward aging, that battle may have been transcended. The curmudgeons no longer matter," said de Grey. "It's no exaggeration to state that the end of the beginning may have arrived. I won't go so far as to say that my crusading job is done, but for sure it just got a whole lot easier."
SOURCE Adam Ford
| By 33rd Square | Subscribe to 33rd Square |
0 comments:
Post a Comment