This "Don't Die" guy has his limits for AI
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When it comes to health care and longevity, "Don't Die" influencer Bryan Johnson says AI is not ready for primetime.
- "We are in an in-between state where AIs are brilliant and dumb. They make really stupid mistakes all the time. I would never trust my health to an AI," he said in an exclusive interview with "The Axios Show" on Monday.
Why it matters: Johnson is a successful tech founder, is close to a number of top AI execs and is at the forefront of a movement to prolong and improve health that's grown into an obsession for many in Silicon Valley. That is to say, his perspective on AI and health is tested and well-honed.
State of play: Johnson famously has developed a longevity regimen involving taking 30 daily pills, measuring "biomarkers" on his health down to extreme minutiae (including his erections) and making himself the ultimate guinea pig to test out possible health routines and interventions.
- The role for AI in health care and medicine, for him and for others, is to help people make better sense of that data. In his case, he's gathered 4.2 billion data points on his health in the last five years, he said.
- "There's no way any human can master that," he said, adding, "We've just exceeded the capacity for a human to understand the data."
The intrigue: Johnson is also training agents on his brain and personality.
- He plans to live forever, but if his body gives out, he is "open to continuation in a variety of forms," including in the form of an agent.
- That's not his ideal outcome, he said, adding "in my current mindset, I strongly prefer to continue to exist as I am."
Threat level: The founder of the "Don't Die" movement sat down with Axios just as several researchers involved in AI development are publicly saying it could lead to human extinction.
- Johnson isn't convinced on doom or optimism: "I personally don't think any human knows enough to make an assessment, whether we are headed for utopia, dystopia or extinction."
Zoom in: If the doomsday-ers are to be believed about the potential impact of AI, the future of humanity may rest in the hands of a few AI CEOs, some of whom Johnson is in group chats with.
- When asked if he's comfortable with them deciding the fate of the world, Johnson said: "Can you go back in history and be comfortable at any point in time with humans running the show? We wing it. We don't think ahead. We act at the very last moment. We can't keep our sh*t together."
- "Humanity's pretty resilient. We've been through a lot and we might be able to pull this one off. ... It's the most exciting time to ever exist on planet Earth."
Johnson was also diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease earlier this year and is working with his concierge team to find a cure.
- Even if his current longevity routine doesn't meaningfully change his lifespan, Johnson believes that living another 30 years could allow him to see AI cure his disease, slow or reverse his aging or all three.
The bottom line: Even those at the edge of treatments and technology have mixed opinions on how to interact with AI.
