Sir Klaus and myself have been chatting for quite some time and so we have become well acquainted. We are sitting in the drawing room of his bunker beneath the Martin Bodmer Museum estate which overlooks Lake Geneva; While there are no windows through which to admire the spectacular views, we do have a live feed to gigantic LED screens that wrap around the interior walls of his drawing room. A side benefit is that these provide extra security for a man that has invoked the ire of a small but significant following of dedicated opponents to his grand global vision. (as discussed in the earlier parts of this interview.) We sip a fine brandy and smoke a cigar.
What does Sir Klaus do to relax? I asked.
I shoot peasants.
Peasants?
Haha. My apologies. I meant pheasants. I’m always making that mistake for some reason.
Aha yes of course. Pheasants. Are you a good shot?
I’m not bad. Of course I get quite a lot of practise in. My wife hates guns. They make her nervous.
Why so?
Well, there have been a few minor scrapes. Staff members can end up in the wrong place at the wrong time or they just don’t duck fast enough. Obviously when something untoward happens we have medics here on site who take care of everything. My wife forgets that we build humans. The staff are very grateful for the help we give them. I even think it is worth their while receiving an injury just to get our life-enhancing treatment!
Yes. You are in fact, I’m quite sure, doing them a great service Sir Schwab.
I think so.
I know that you do a lot of travelling. Do you like to take vacations?
Yes certainly, but we mostly mix business with pleasure. My wife and I like to visit places such as Hollywood, Seattle, Washington, London and Beijing. We get to attend all kinds of fun events and meet fascinating people.
I’d like to talk about one thing you mentioned- Building humans. What does that involve?
As you know we are engaged in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or The Great Reset as I call it.
Yes that’s such a great name- Simple, catchy and to the point. Please continue.
As you know we are seeing a massive upsurge in the use of Artificial Intelligence. We can now chat with a digital entity like ChatGPT and the results are very impressive. We can ask AI to provide recipes, paint pictures, do research, and even write articles.
Some people are nervous about the advent of AI and the concept of merging themselves with machines. What are your thoughts? How do you reassure those with such apprehensions?
We all know the story of Frankenstein’s monster where the obsessive doctor reanimated dead tissue. The doctor had a good idea but he went about it the wrong way. What we want to do is kind of the opposite- Start with a live person and gradually turn him…
Into Frankenstein’s monster?
Haha. No, of course not. We need a better name for it. (I detect the faint glimmer of a smile.) Humans have their own embedded traits- Likes, dislikes, traditions, customs, memories, knowledge, skills; So what we do is kind of “bottle” them as a digital file where their entire personality will be uploaded and stored forever.
And what do you do with that stored personality?
We keep the original of course and make multiple copies. With our new digital man or woman we can insert things, delete things, alter perceptions, and create behaviour patterns. In other words, improve their personality. In a sense, create a new and improved soul.
And what do you do with the subject then?
We erase the existing personality and install our new improved one through a machine-to-human interface implanted in the skull. We add AI capabilities to assist with certain functions and data processing.
Sounds incredible Sir Schwab. What kind of capabilities does that bestow?
Well, the beneficiary will be able to recite any page from Alice Bailey’s writings for example, or suddenly understand how to perform brain surgery.
I see. Truly breathtaking. And what about physical capabilities?
Robots will bear that responsibility. They will become like a physical extension of ourselves, and the human body will eventually become quite obsolete.
Won’t these things need to be tested before launch?
Naturally. That’s why we are currently recruiting our “Angels” who will test drive the technology. These lucky men and women get to be part of humanity’s great leap forward. There will obviously be teething problems but we have the means to make them as comfortable as possible whenever things go wrong.
I see. And the software running all this- Will it be open source?
No. I understand many people believe that open source is superior, and that may be true, but you can’t make money with it.
Presumably the operating system will need regular updates. How will this work?
That’s not a problem. The subject will receive updates automatically through a satellite-linked receiver built directly into the brain.
Amazing. Will the system ever crash or need a reboot?
Well, yes. That’s why subjects will need to refrain from activities such as driving, climbing, flying aircraft, running, rigorous exercise, or anything else that can result in injury.
I see. Fun and spontaneity as we know it will be set aside for the greater good?
Yes.
For everyone?
Some of us will be able to avail of laughter circuits that do enjoyment; but that will be a premium feature.
Who controls the software?
Ultimately it has to be Me. Of course I have some wonderful advisors such as Yuval Noah Harari who is a leading light in the transition process of humanity.
When will it be ready for public release?
We’ve been testing it out on Joe Biden. It needs a lot of work, but at least Joe is mostly able to move around, nod and smile, so it’s a start. He tends to malfunction a little, but we believe that is down to the physical and mental condition of our subject.
When do you think you will be ready for your own “Human 2.0” upgrade?
That will be decided in due course. Next question.
Well this has been an absolute pleasure Sir Schwab. I have appreciated your graciousness and hospitality. It’s just a pity we didn’t get to meet your lovely wife Hilde.
At that moment a loud female voice booms over the intercom: “Lovely to see you Charles.” it says.
I jumped out of my chair in fright, swinging around to scan the room. Klaus is unmoved, and seems to be mildly amused- It’s hard to tell. No doubt he had expected this interjection from his wife Hilde.
“I’ve enjoyed watching your visit immensely. Please do come again soon.”
Certainly. Likewise. I said, looking around the room to see if her face appeared on any of the screens. I am left speechless for a moment.
Sir Schwab attempts a smile.
That’s my Hilde. She is omni-present.
I laughed- nervously- I’ll admit.
She sure is. I thought.
