Aliens are stranger than we can imagine, according to astrophysicist
The UK's Astronomer Royal, Lord Martin Rees, believes that extraterrestrial life forms are "stranger than we can imagine."
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According to the British Astronomer Royal, potential alien civilizations may be far more integrated with artificial intelligence.
Highlighting that humans have entered the age of artificial intelligence, Rees is of the opinion that an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization would most likely have already traversed this technological advancement.
HUMANS MAY BE APPROACHING THE END OF DARWINIAN EVOLUTION
According to details reported by Independent Türkçe, in an article he penned for the BBC, Rees stated, "We humans may be approaching the end of Darwinian evolution. We no longer have to be the most adapted species to survive," and added:
However, the technological evolution of AI brains is only just beginning.
When the famous naturalist Charles Darwin outlined his theory of evolution in his 1859 book, On the Origin of Species, he ignited a revolution in scientific thought.
According to the theory of evolution, biological species survive and pass on their genes by acquiring traits through mutation that facilitate survival, adaptation to environmental conditions, and reproduction. Darwin called this natural selection.
In science fiction, extraterrestrial life is often depicted as humanoid and "flesh and blood" creatures.
However, according to Rees, the probability of them being "more artificial" is quite high.
"It may only take another century or two for humans to be overtaken or surpassed by inorganic intelligence," the astronomer said, continuing his remarks:
If this happens, our species will be just a short interlude in Earth's history before machines take over.
AN ANSWER TO THE FERMI PARADOX
The scientist argued that this claim actually provides an answer to the famous Fermi Paradox.
The famous question of the Fermi Paradox, which was posed 60 years ago, is still being debated:
If there are so many galaxies, stars, and planets, the probability of extraterrestrial life is very high. So why haven't we made contact with aliens?
According to Rees, if extraterrestrial life is largely mechanized and integrated with artificial intelligence, it may have become difficult for humans to communicate with them.
This is because human-made telescopes are searching for traces of "organic" beings similar to humans, and according to Rees, the probability of finding them is low.
In other words, Rees says we do not have the technology to detect hypothetical AI-driven aliens.
The scientist adds, "It is perhaps more likely that aliens are the distant electronic descendants of other organic beings that existed long ago."
Rees concludes his words as follows:
Perhaps whatever is out there is not evolving according to Darwinian selection. This process, which I call 'secular intelligent design,' is like machines designing better machines. Even if they do not make their presence known to us, they could be everywhere in the universe.