Machines will take over most human tasks, and humanity itself will be reshaped into bio‑engineered successors, according to Whitfield Diffie, a Turing Award laureate and pioneer of public‑key cryptography.
In an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Diffie said even if machines end up doing essentially everything for people, it won't necessarily mean that artificial intelligence (AI) will "take over".
Instead, he foresees two dominant forms of intelligence emerging over time in the form of advanced machines and genetically "blueprinted" humans engineered through tools such as CRISPR, a gene‑editing technology that allows scientists to precisely alter DNA.
"Is AI or am I going to take over the world? I don't think there's any doubt about it. I think that machines offer to do things for people. People like that; people say yes. And at some point, we will look around and we will see the machines are doing everything, and there won't be anything we can do about it. Human beings as we know them today, I think, are not long for the world. And that the two successors will be things that we call machines, things that are built out of transistors, basically; and things that we call bio-engineered. Now we'll start out by producing, I believe, in motor racing you have a notion of a blueprinted car," said Diffie.
"So I think we're going to get blueprinted human beings by whatever genetic manipulation mechanisms and the one that's well known as CRISPR. But much better ones are being developed and so there's no reason that the same human being shouldn't have a fine heart, good lungs, very sensitive taste and smell, a good sense of touch, strength to run a long way, very smart, etc, and just put this all together in one person. So now you have a population of people each one of whom is better than we are today in essentially every direction," he added.
Machines set to take over human tasks, with genetic redesign shaping future: expert
Film shooting locations in Shanghai have become new must-sees for tourists as the Shanghai International Film Festival is currently underway, fueling cultural tourism in the city.
The places include the century-old Wukang Mansion, famed as a cultural landmark in Shanghai, which can be found in many films.
The building is now a tourist favorite, with visitors taking snapshots or posing for pictures from all angles.
Not far from the mansion, a small post office has benefited from the popularity of the structure, with flocks of people paying a visit and buying cultural innovation products here.
Previously, the post office earned around 100,000 yuan (about 14,771 U.S. dollars) every year, but now its revenue has increased to 300,000 to 500,000 yuan in a month in peak season period, according to its staff.
"Many people including enthusiasts and tourists would like to write down their experiences, and mail the postcards to their friends. It has become an emotional post house in the city. It's also a preferred hub for some famous film and television works and stars to hold events, and one of the shooting locations in some works," said Zhu Lingjing, a post office clerk.
Thanks to its frequent appearance in films, the Wutong block where the Wukang Mansion is located has also become a must-visit destination for tourists. From morning to evening, cafes and stores along the street bustle with visitors.
Besides the community, Zhapu Road Bridge, another film shooting location in Shanghai, has also attracted large numbers of visitors. An immersive space themed around the film "Hideaway: The Dossiers" is set to open soon to the public in the block near the bridge.
"Through this collaboration with the film 'Hideaway: The Dossiers,' we hope to transform the classroom scenes depicted in the film into a real-world salon for Shanghai-style culture. We also hope that movies screened in cinemas can be brought closer to people's daily lives in a way that is tangible, accessible and engaging," said Ji Lingjun, manager of the immersive space.
Film shooting locations become new must-sees in Shanghai
