From Dan Tapscott’s Globe and Mail piece about the latest book from Ray Kurzweil, that lightning rod, about the current and future merger of human and machine: 

“The thesis of How to Create a Mind is that the human brain itself is the most powerful thinking machine available today, so it is logical that we look to the brain for guidance on how to make devices smarter. He outlines a theory he calls ‘the pattern recognition theory of mind (PRTM),’ which he says ‘describes the basic algorithm of the neocortex (the region of the brain responsible for perception, memory and critical thinking).’ By reverse-engineering the human brain, we will be able to ‘to vastly extend the power of our own intelligence.’

What will we do with this new intelligence? First, we will better understand the brain itself and develop superior treatments for the brain’s ailments, such as psychiatric disorders. Second, we will use our expanded intelligence to solve the many problems that confront mankind. Finally, we will use the intelligence to teach us how to be smarter.

I have written often about today’s smartphones evolving into digital co-pilots, our constant companions that will help us get through the day. Kurzweil sees such devices shrinking to microscopic size and residing within our bodies. Will we have tiny computers in our bloodstream, ever alert for something amiss? These devices will be our links to what is now called the cloud, the vast computing power of the Googles, the Amazons, the Apples and the IBMs of the world.”