Tech entrepreneur and longevity pioneer Bryan Johnson had stark warnings about artificial intelligence during his appearance on the Full Send Podcast, suggesting humanity faces an uncertain future as we give birth to a form of intelligence that may surpass us entirely.
The biohacking guru positioned humanity’s relationship with AI as the defining challenge of our era. “What’s happening on planet Earth right now in this part of the galaxy is we are giving birth to super intelligence,” he stated. “When this is happening, the only thing that matters is that we don’t die.”
Johnson expressed deep concern about humanity’s self-destructive tendencies at this critical juncture. “As humans, we’re kind of crazy. We commit slow death suicide by doing all these bad things to ourselves. We are doing bad things to our planet. We do bad things to each other. We’re in this phase where we are violent. We are a destructive species.”
However, Johnson maintained cautious optimism about humanity’s potential to evolve. “I think we’re going to mature past it. We’re going to get past it,” he said, though he acknowledged the uncertain road ahead.
When asked directly about humanity’s future with AI, Johnson’s response was sobering. “Do we have a future with AI? No one knows. I’m not a doomer, but I also am not a believer in utopia. It’s just very practical. This is big. It’s important. So, let’s not be stupid.”
The entrepreneur also discussed the concept of human-AI merger, something he’s actively working on through his brain interface company Kernel. “I’m really interested in the idea of humans emerging with AI. That’s the thing that’s happening right now,” Johnson said.
When asked if he would get a chip implanted in his brain, Johnson replied affirmatively. “Certainly. When the surgery is safe. Yes. If it’s safe augmentation, of course.”
He explained his rationale by pointing out humanity’s existing dependence on technology. “Are we not merged with our phones already?” Johnson asked, referencing Elon Musk’s observations about download speeds versus upload speeds in human-technology interaction.
Johnson and Musk had previously discussed collaborating on brain interface technology. “Elon and I actually talked about building a company together. When he went Neuralink, I did Kernel. I went down non-invasive, he went down invasive. He’s sticking things inside the brain. We evaluated that. We decided to do non-invasive so everybody could do it.”
The Kernel helmet, which cost over 75 million dollars to develop and 30,000 to 40,000 dollars to manufacture, represents Johnson’s approach to brain measurement and enhancement. “We’re both probing the brain to try to create a link between humans and AI for improved learning, improved diagnosis, improved awareness,” he explained.
Despite concerns about AI supremacy, Johnson emphasized the immediate practical applications of his technology. “We’re doing a study right now predicting depression treatments. If you are depressed and you’re considering doing SSRI or TMS, you can wear Kernel and get a prediction score on which things you’ll be responsive to.”
Johnson’s ultimate message centered on humanity’s need to secure its survival during this transitional period. “We’re in this critical stage where it’s not clear that humans have a future,” he warned. “This is big. It’s important. So, let’s not be stupid and do things that compromise our existence.”
While acknowledging the magnitude of the AI revolution, Johnson maintained his focus on practical survival strategies.
