From Gilgamesh's quest for immortality to everlasting cloud hyper-collective mind: ethical implications for artificial intelligence

Purpose - This conceptual paper aims to explore the possibility of human beings reaching a virtual form of immortality. Design/methodology/approach - The paper is an investigation of the path from an early example of human knowledge to the birth of artificial intelligence (AI) and robots. A critical analysis of different point of views, from philosophers to scientists, is presented. Findings - From ancient rock art paintings to the moon landing, human knowledge has made a huge progress to the point of creating robots resembling human features. While these humanoid robots can successfully undertake risky tasks, they also generate ethical issues for the society they interact with. Research limitations/implications - The paper is conceptual, and it does attempt to provide one theory by which human beings can achieve the dream of immortality. It is part of a work in progress on the use of AI and the issues related to the creation/use of humanoid robots in society. Originality/value - This paper provides an overview of some of the key issues and themes impacting our modern society. Its originality resides in the linking of human knowledge to collective knowledge and then of collective mind to the hyper-collective mind. The idea of humans reaching immortality is burdened by the imperative need to define ethical guidelines for the field of AI and its uses.