The Second Big Bang

Technology is putting humanity on a path to infinity.

In recent years, there has been an increasing push towards developing digital copies of humans, or digital twins. This technology offers the potential to advance humanity in unique and fascinating ways. In its latest Hype Cycle, Gartner places the “digital human” of the accent, yet still early on it’s precarious path forward. Yet, the functional digitization of the human cognition and experiences provides a tantalizing perspective for the decentralization of humanity itself—beyond the individual and beyond the earth.

Simply put, digital twins recreate the physical world. They can help us test new ideas and scenarios that match our human reality. And importantly, reducing the physical risk for trial or engagement. For example, if we want to test out a new medical treatment, we can use digital twins to see how it would affect a person before trying it out on anyone for real. Clinical trials can be modified, more rapidly conducted, and simulated in ways that can supplement human-based trials, drive insights and even new therapies.

This also has implications for things like space exploration. If we want to send people to Mars, for example, we can use digital twins to test out the journey and even become “techno-astronauts” to travel the distance without the functional and physical constrains that this trip would place on humans. The implications, digital twins offer the potential to expand humanity to a multi-planetary species. If we can create digital copies of ourselves, we can send them to other planets to start new colonies.

Digital twins can also help us to monitor and manage complex systems, such as power grids or transportation networks. By having a digital copy of these systems, we can more easily spot problems and find solutions before they cause any major disruptions.

In addition, digital twins can help us to better understand and protect our environment. For example, by creating a digital copy of an ecosystem, we can study it in detail and look for ways to improve it or make it more resilient.

But the digital twin doesn’t stop with our external reality. The ability to craft a human digital twin is at the forefront of technology and innovation and provide what may be…