Mind uploading has been a recurring theme in science fiction since the mid 1950’s. The concept has featured in popular TV programmes like Black Mirror (Brooker, Jones & Reisz, 2011-) and Years and Years (Cellan Jones & Shindler, 2019) as well as Netflix's Altered Carbon (Lenic, 2018 -) and Amazon's Upload (Daniels & Klein, 2020-).
However, while it is not yet science fact, breakthroughs such as new tools for mapping neuronal connections, high resolution imaging and growth in nanoscience and computing, as well as advances in neuro prosthetics and Brain: Computer Interfaces (BCI) means that mind augmentation and uploading may be possible one day.
Millions of pounds of funding are invested in mapping and modelling the brain with the aim of reverse engineering it via whole brain emulation (WBE). If WBE is achieved, it might hypothetically be possible to create a brain - and some believe a mind - on a different processing platform such as a computer. My industry partner - The Carboncopies Foundation – is active in this field and working to facilitate peer networks and projects for scientists working on challenges in WBE.
However, while the philosophical and scientific challenges of WBE and mind uploading are hotly debated, there is little research exploring the public’s understanding of and attitudes towards these concepts.
At the heart of my PhD is public awareness and attitudes and I am looking to explore the public’s potential journey to mind uploading (or not). The topics are conceptual and futuristic (and hence challenging to research) so I have used novel, creative approaches to ensure my research is relevant, resonant, and meaningful.
The foundation of my research with the public is an Online Longitudinal Panel. This comprises 12 individuals, ranging in age from 18 to over 80, who are based around the world. We have been working together since 2020 allowing us time to explore complex concepts and changing beliefs or attitudes. We have already explored past memories and future/predicted memories using a range of qualitative research methods. The participants have also engaged with AI driven apps and BCI technology to further explore brain and mind.
The final stage for my panellists will be to engage with a novel story telling website – ‘Afterlives’ – where they will experience a future world in which mind uploading is a reality. In this world both utopian and dystopian futures will be explored. As well as collecting data on attitudes to mind uploading I am also evaluating the story telling website as a method. This looks at measures such as transportation, engagement, and identification with the characters. Panellists’ self-report assessments of emotional response, imagination and attentional focus will be precursors to physiological measures of such parameters.
My research will provide unique insight into the public’s perception of and reaction to mind uploading and contribute to literature on novel methods for exploring future technology.
References & Further Reading:
Appel, M., Koch, E., Schreier, M., & Groeben, N. (2002). Aspekte des Leseerlebans: Skalenentwicklung. [Assessing experiential states during reading: Scale development]. Zeitschrift für Medienpsychologie.
Benedek, M., Schües, T., Beaty, R. E., Jauk, E., Koschutnig, K., Fink, A., & Neubauer, A. C. (2018). To create or to recall original ideas: Brain processes associated with the imagination of novel object uses. Cortex, 99, 93-102. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2017.10.024
Bezdek, M. A., & Gerrig, R. J. (2017). When Narrative Transportation Narrows Attention: Changes in Attentional Focus During Suspenseful Film Viewing. Media Psychology, 20(1), 60-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2015.1121830
Brooker, C., Jones, A., Reisz, B. (Executive Producers). (2011-). Black Mirror [Television series]. Zeppotron for Endemol. https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/70264888
Busselle, R., & Bilandzic, H. (2009). Measuring Narrative Engagement. Media Psychology, 12(4), 321-347. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213260903287259
Cangià, F., & Zittoun, T. (2020). Exploring the interplay between (im)mobility and imagination. Culture & Psychology, 26(4), 641-653. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354067x19899063
Cellan Jones, S., & Shindler, N. (Executive Producers), (2019-). Years and Years [Television series]. RED Production Company (a STUDIOCANAL company). https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000539g
Cohen, J. (2001). Defining Identification: A Theoretical Look at the Identification of Audiences With Media Characters. Mass Communication and Society, 4, 245 - 264.
Cohen, J. (2006). Audience Identification with Media Characters. In Psychology of entertainment. (pp. 183-197). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Daniels, G., & Klein, H. (2020-). Upload [Television series]. Amazon Prime. https://www.amazon.com/Upload/dp/B0858YGKZ4
Diamond, A. (2013). Executive functions. Annu Rev Psychol, 64, 135-168. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-113011-143750
Dixon, P., & Bortolussi, M. (2015). Measuring literary experience: comment on Jacobs (2016). Scientific Study of Literature, 5(2), 178-182.
Douglas, Y., & Hargadon, A. (2000). The pleasure principle: immersion, engagement, flow Proceedings of the eleventh ACM on Hypertext and hypermedia, San Antonio, Texas, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/336296.336354
Egan, K. (1992). Imagination in Teaching and Learning. Ages 8-15. British Journal of Educational Studies, 40(4), 415-417
Ekman, P. (1992). An argument for basic emotions. Cognition & emotion, 6(3-4), 169-200.
Harmon-Jones, C., Bastian, B., & Harmon-Jones, E. (2016). The Discrete Emotions Questionnaire: A New Tool for Measuring State Self-Reported Emotions. PLOS ONE, 11(8), e0159915. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159915
Gander, P. (1999). Two myths about immersion in new storytelling media. Lund University.
Gerrig, R. J. (1993). Experiencing narrative worlds: On the psychological activities of reading. Yale University Press.
Green, M. C., & Brock, T. C. (2000). The role of transportation in the persuasiveness of public narratives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79(5), 701-721. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.79.5.701
Green, M. C., & Brock, T. C. (2002). In the mind's eye: Transportation-imagery model of narrative persuasion. In Narrative impact: Social and cognitive foundations. (pp. 315-341). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Green, M. C., Brock, T. C., & Kaufman, G. F. (2004). Understanding Media Enjoyment: The Role of Transportation Into Narrative Worlds. Communication Theory, 14(4).
Green, M. C. (2008). Research Challenges: Research challenges in narrative persuasion. Information Design Journal, 16(1), 47-52. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1075/idj.16.1.07gre
Green, M. C., & Jenkins, K. M. (2014). Interactive narratives: Processes and outcomes in user-directed stories. Journal of Communication, 64(3), 479-500.
Green, M. C. (2021). Transportation into Narrative Worlds. In L. B. Frank & P. Falzone (Eds.), Entertainment-Education Behind the Scenes: Case Studies for Theory and Practice (pp. 87-101). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63614-2_6
Ings S., (May 2018). “Evading death and mind uploading: The ambition of transhumanism”, New Scientist https://institutions-newscientist-com.ezproxy.nottingham.ac.uk/article/2168294-evading-death-and-mind-uploading-the-ambition-of-transhumanism/
IIzard, C. E. (1991). The psychology of emotions. Springer Science & Business Media.
Jacobs, A. M. (2015). The scientific study of literary experience: Sampling the state of the art. Scientific Study of Literature, 5(2), 139-170. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1075/ssol.5.2.01jac
Jankowska DM and Karwowski M (2015) Measuring creative imagery abilities. Front. Psychol. 6:1591. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01591
Jung, R. E., Flores, R. A., & Hunter, D. (2016). A New Measure of Imagination Ability: Anatomical Brain Imaging Correlates. Front Psychol, 7, 496. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00496
Kim, T., & Biocca, F. (1997). Telepresence via Television: Two Dimensions of Telepresence May Have Different Connections to Memory and Persuasion.[1]. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.1997.tb00073.x
Laakasuo, M., Drosinou, M., Koverola, M., Kunnari, A., Halonen, J., Lehtonen, N., & Palomäki, J. (2018). What makes people approve or condemn mind upload technology? Untangling the effects of sexual disgust, purity and science fiction familiarity. Palgrave Communications, 4(1), 1-14.
Laakasuo, M., Repo, M., Drosinou, M., Berg, A., Kunnari, A., Koverola, M., Saikkonen, T., Hannikainen, I. R., Visala, A., & Sundvall, J. (2021). The dark path to eternal life: Machiavellianism predicts approval of mind upload technology. Personality and Individual Differences, 177, 110731. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.110731
Lenic, J.G. (Executive Producer). (2018-). Altered Carbon [Television series]. Netflix. https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/80097140
Livingstone, S. (2002). Relationships between media and audiences: prospects for audience reception studies. In Media, ritual and identity (pp. 247-265). Routledge.
Marks, D. F. (1973). Visual Imagery Differences in the Recall of Pictures. British Journal of Psychology, 64(1), 17-24. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8295.1973.tb01322.x
McMahan, A. (2003).Immersion, Engagement, and Presence: A Method for Analyzing 3-D Video Games. The Video Game Theory Reader (pp. 67-86) Routledge.
Moyer-Gusé, E. (2008). Toward a Theory of Entertainment Persuasion: Explaining the Persuasive Effects of Entertainment-Education Messages. Communication Theory, 18(3), 407-425. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2008.00328.x
Ogden, M. R. (2019). The Next Innovation in Immersive [Actuality] Media Isn’t Technology—It’s Storytelling. Proceedings of The Asian Conference on Media, Communication & Film,
Paulhus, D. L. (1991). Measurement and control of response bias. In Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes. (pp. 17-59). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-590241-0.50006-X
Qin, H., Patrick Rau, P.L., & Salvendy, G. (2009). Measuring Player Immersion in the Computer Game Narrative. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 25(2), 107-133. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447310802546732
Richardson, D. C., Griffin, N. K., Zaki, L., Stephenson, A., Yan, J., Curry, T., Noble, R., Hogan, J., Skipper, J. I., & Devlin, J. T. (2020). Engagement in video and audio narratives: contrasting self-report and physiological measures. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 11298. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68253-2
Ross, G., Ciorciari, J. and van Laer, T. (2018). Using EEG to Examine the Role of Attention, Working Memory, Emotion, and Imagination in Narrative Transportation (2018). European Journal of Marketing, 52(1/2), 92-117. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2892967 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2892967
Rudrum, D. (2005). From Narrative Representation to Narrative Use: Towards the Limits of Definition. Narrative, 13(2), 195-204. https://doi.org/10.1353/nar.2005.0013
Sandberg, A., & Bostrom, N. (2008). Whole Brain Emulation: A Roadmap Technical Report. Future of Humanity Institute.
Schwanenberg, E. (1974). Izard, CE: The Face of Emotion. New York (Appleton-Century-Crofts) 1971, 468 Seiten. Psyche, 28(9-10), 919-920.
Shaver, P., Schwartz, J., Kirson, D., & O'connor, C. (1987). Emotion knowledge: further exploration of a prototype approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(6), 1061.
Shen, L., & Seung, S.-y. (2018). On Measures of Message Elaboration in Narrative Communication. Communication Quarterly, 66(1), 79-95. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2017.1334682
Slater, M. D., & Rouner, D. (2002). Entertainment-education and elaboration likelihood: Understanding the processing of narrative persuasion. Communication Theory, 12(2), 173-191. https://doi.org/10.1093/ct/12.2.173
Tal-Or, N., & Cohen, J. (2010). Understanding audience involvement: Conceptualizing and manipulating identification and transportation. Poetics, 38(4), 402-418. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2010.05.004
The Carboncopies Foundation (2020). https://carboncopies.org/
Vallat-Azouvi, C., Pradat-Diehl, P., & Azouvi, P. (2012). The Working Memory Questionnaire: A scale to assess everyday life problems related to deficits of working memory in brain injured patients. Neuropsychological Rehabilitation, 22(4), 634-649. https://doi.org/10.1080/09602011.2012.681110
Van Krieken K, Hoeken H and Sanders J (2017) Evoking and Measuring Identification with Narrative Characters – A Linguistic Cues Framework. Front. Psychol. 8:1190. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01190
Van Kuiken, D. M., & Huth, M. M. (2016). What Is 'Normal?' Evaluating Vital Signs. Nephrology nursing journal : journal of the American Nephrology Nurses' Association, 43 1, 49-58; quiz 59.
Weijters, B., Baumgartner, H., & Schillewaert, N. (2013). Reversed item bias: An integrative model. Psychological Methods, 18(3), 320-334. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032121
Zabelina, D. L., & Condon, D. M. (2020). The Four-Factor Imagination Scale (FFIS): a measure for assessing frequency, complexity, emotional valence, and directedness of imagination. Psychological Research, 84(8), 2287-2299. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-019-01227-w
Public Science Lecture (December 2022) on whole brain emulation and mind uploading.
Pint of Science 2023 - Creative Reactions where art is inspired by science. A musical interpretation of mind uploading
Pint of Science 2023 - Public Talk
Press Releases for British Science Festival 2023
University of Nottingham Press Release
British Science Festival Website
5 minute segment on Notts TV (I’m on from 5:47).
Article in The Conversation