Immortality by 2039? — Man Goes Viral For His Claim Backed by AI

What if death was optional by the year 2039? It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, right? But one Silicon Valley viral influencer has taken that idea very seriously. Bryan Johnson, a tech entrepreneur known for his super intense anti-ageing efforts and infectious optimism about human longevity, has set himself a shocking goal. He wants to achieve biological immortality within the next 14 years.

He has shared this plan in detail on social media, basing his confidence not just on cutting edge medicine but also the unprecedented power of artificial intelligence, yes, AI might get humans immortal.

The AI Immortality Theory

Bryan Johnson is not new to going viral when it comes to health and longevity science. Over many years, he has invested a huge amount of personal wealth into reversing the effects of ageing on his own body.

He has also documented shocking changes in his biomarkers, reportedly saying that despite the passage of time, his biological age has not increased, which he then sees as proof that ageing can be slowed or even stopped fully.

Moreover, Johnson's current target, as he shared in a long post on social media platform X, is nothing less than immortality by 2039. According to his message, which has gone viral, the present moment represents a huge turning point in human history, where the tools to tackle death itself are finally within reach due to super fast technological advancement. Here is his post:

Now, the main part of Johnson's argument is the job of artificial intelligence. He believes that AI is evolving fast beyond just being a simple assistant and is becoming a true scientific partner capable of accelerating discovery in ways that were previously impossible. Johnson also says that AI led systems can help identify promising anti-ageing therapies, measure biological markers with unparalleled precision, and even test new treatments on organ clones grown from his own cells.

Furthermore, he says that this closed looping system of feedback, powered by AI, is what makes a 2039 deadline realistically plausible. Johnson also gets inspiration from examples in nature. Certain organisms, such as the freshwater hydra and the so called immortal jellyfish, show negligible ageing or even the ability to revert to youthful states. Lobsters, too, produce high levels of the enzyme telomerase, which preserves DNA integrity and slows cellular ageing. He believes that understanding and porting whatever biological mechanisms allow these creatures to avoid senescence could provide clues for human applications.

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Fact Check on Human Immortality

Bryan Johnson's huge claim that biological immortality might be achievable by 2039 is an extraordinary one that has gotten millions of views across the world. However, when measured against the current state of scientific knowledge, it remains super debatable and unsupported by mainstream research.

Moreover, Johnson himself admits that the exact steps to reach this goal are unknown. In his social media post, he acknowledged that promising therapies are still 'buggy' and can even cause cancer, and that his team does not yet know exactly how immortality will be achieved in practice. What he does rely on, though, is the hope that artificial intelligence will accelerate discovery and development at an insane pace.

Right now, there is no technology capable of completely stopping or reversing the human ageing process. Research from longevity science organisations makes clear that while a lot of progress has been made in understanding how ageing works and how specific parts of it might be slowed or partially reversed, there is no consensus that ageing can ever be fully halted.

Furthermore, current studies look at treatments like epigenetic reprogramming and senolytic therapies, which aim to restore cells to a younger state or clear out senescent cells, but these approaches remain at early stages, and their efficacy in humans is still far from established.