Artificial Intelligence and Genetic Engineering, by Dr Fazal Rana
May 19, 2022
Date/Time
Date(s) - 19/05/2022
5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Categories
Our next Zoom meeting is:
“Artificial Intelligence and Genetic Engineering”, by Dr Fazale Rana
When: 5 pm, Thursday, the 12th of May 2022 (Adelaide time)
Please click on the following link to join the meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83753507319?pwd=V01kcW9HNHVjQ2UzR0xaYTAzOTFqdz09
Please take special note that the meeting will start at 5 pm rather than 7 pm (as is usual). Fuzz will be speaking from California and so the time has been brought forward to be more compatible with the Californian time zone.
Both artificial intelligence and genetic engineering have enormous potential benefits for the health and welfare of humanity but there are also risks. Artificial intelligence is using computers to mimic human thought processes and decision making. The possible threat here is that computers may surpass or displace humanity. Genetic engineering is editing DNA genes. This can potentially be used to mitigate or eliminate genetic diseases, enhance human athletic or intellectual performance, improve health or prolong life.
Dr Fazale Rana, from Reasons to Believe (RTB), will be speaking to us on “Artificial Intelligence and Genetic Engineering”. This will be based on his book “Humans 2.0: Scientific, and Theological Perspectives on Transhumanism”. The Kindle edition is available from https://www.amazon.com.au/Humans-2-0-Philosophical-Perspectives-Transhumanism-ebook/dp/B07TV6HFTC for $11.99. I am a fair way through it, and it is very interesting. It is a late notice, but you may like to start reading it to be better prepared for the meeting. The initial sections are on gene editing using CRISP-Cas9, Brain Computer interfaces (BCI) and artificial body parts. These can be used to heal diseases or adverse genetic conditions. A prime example is the Cochlear ear implant, which is now used to enable deaf people to hear. This is great, but these techniques also have the potential capability to enhance human capabilities to create a new super humanity, which is more controversial.
This promises to be a very interesting meeting and a challenging issue in the near future. We are privileged to have Dr Rana to speak to us and it would be great if you could support him and invite others.
Dr Fazale Rana has a PhD in biochemistry. He was brought up in an atheist family, but describes his conversion as follows:
“As a graduate student studying biochemistry, I was captivated by the cell’s complexity, elegance, and sophistication. The inadequacy of evolutionary scenarios to account for life’s origin compelled me to conclude that life must come from a Creator. Reading through the Sermon on the Mount convinced me that Jesus really was who Christians claimed him to be: Lord and Saviour.”
In 1999 he left his position in research and development to join Reasons to Believe and is now Vice President of Research and Apologetics.
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