Can Humans Ever Escape Ageing And Live Forever?

World famous Oxford futurist and philosopher Anders Sandberg joins Thinking on Paper to discuss transhumanism, mind uploading, artificial general intelligence and the technologies humans use to extend their capabilities.Human augmentation doesn’t begin with brain implants or uploaded minds. Memory systems, smartphones, language models and AI agents already allow people to outsource parts of thinking, communication and decision-making. More advanced systems could extend that process into brain emulation, digital copies of human minds and AI-managed institutions.In this episode, we discuss:What transhumanism meansHow technology already extends human memory and intelligenceWhether AI agents should be accountable for their decisionsHow AGI differs from existing artificial intelligenceWhether machines can possess consciousness or empathyWhat mind uploading and whole-brain emulation would requireWhether an uploaded mind would still be the same personHow digital copies could affect identity, work and relationshipsWhether AGI could manage economies more effectively than humansHow automation could make people wealthier while reducing their agencyWhat longer lifespans would mean for society and personal identityHow fusion energy could affect human expansion beyond EarthWho should own lunar resources, asteroids and orbital infrastructureWhether existing systems of space governance can manage permanent settlementAnders explains why transhumanism, AI and space expansion shouldn’t be treated as separate technological futures. Each raises the same underlying questions about agency, identity, power and the boundaries of the human individual.The conversation moves from personal augmentation to civilizational governance, asking what humans become when intelligence can be extended, copied, redesigned or delegated to machines.Please enjoy the show.--Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, computing, science, and the systems shaping the future. Connect with us. 🎧 Listen to every podcast⁠📺 Follow us on ⁠Instagram⁠🏠 Follow us on ⁠X⁠🏠 Follow Jeremy on ⁠LinkedIn⁠To suggest guests or sponsor the show, please email: [email protected](00:00) TRAILER(08:09) Mobile Technology on Humanity(11:51) Accountability in AI Agents(18:25) Empathy(25:35) AGI vs. Alien Life(27:36) Consciousness (35:52) Uploaded Minds(40:33) Parallel Realities (45:16) Human Collaboration (46:24) AGI(51:23) The Dual Economy(57:43) Space Ownership (01:05:18) Human Expansion(01:17:49) The Space Race (01:21:43) Space Exploration(01:24:22) New Forms of Governance(01:26:18) NASA(01:28:41) Breakaway Movements in Space(01:30:16) Space Governance(01:34:18) Fusion Energy(01:42:15) Time and Life Extension(01:48:06) Extended Lifespans(01:52:03) Technology