British astronomer Lord Martin Rees said that extraterrestrial life has already been discovered, and that it is represented by artificial intelligence, and not by little green men.
In a interview Together with the BBC, Martin Rees argues that artificial intelligence is a form of extraterrestrial life that leads to a new concept: reaching the pinnacle of Darwinian evolution could mean the end of humanity’s role as the dominant species on Earth.
He said: ‘It may only be another century or two before man is overtaken or transcended by inorganic intelligence. If this happens, our species would have only had a brief interlude in Earth’s history before the machines took over.
“Many assume that humans are the pinnacle of intelligence, but it is possible that our species represents a stage on the path to a mind that is more artificial.
“This could explain why the cosmos seems so empty of life like us. If an evolutionary transition to non-organic intelligence is inevitable throughout the universe, it is highly unlikely that our telescopes will detect human-like intelligence in the time frame that it was embodied in that form.
“It may be more likely that the aliens are the distant electronic offspring of other organic beings that existed long ago.”
Some scientists recognize the possibility of the existence of other forms of intelligence not associated with organic beings. In recent years, artificial intelligence has been increasingly introduced into various areas of human life.
We can only guess what the future will look like – whether artificial intelligence will be ‘aliens’, as Rees suggested. If this happens, they could become the next step in the evolution of intelligence. Perhaps the time will come when humanity has completed its destiny and a new form of intelligence will take over.
So it is entirely possible that on other planets artificial life has taken control into its own hands.