It's Been a Minute The "priest of AI" & tech's pursuit of eternal life
Apr 23, 2025
Michelle Santiago Cortes, a journalist focused on technology and culture, joins Tara Isabella Burton, an author and religion expert, to dissect the strange intersection of tech and eternal life. They delve into Bryan Johnson’s wild 'Don’t Die' movement and his controversial methods. The discussion crosses into the philosophical, pondering how our obsession with longevity and AI fosters new spiritual dimensions. Expect insights on societal equity in health, the commodification of life, and what it truly means to be human in a tech-driven future.
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Bryan Johnson's Longevity Quest
- Bryan Johnson, a tech centimillionaire, uses extreme methods like infusions of his son's blood to pursue longevity.
- His regime also includes gene editing, strict dietary rules, and wearable devices that emit red light to the scalp.
Longevity Protocol's Scientific Limits
- Bryan Johnson's longevity protocol mixes many interventions simultaneously, making it impossible to determine what actually works.
- The lack of control variables means his experiment remains scientifically unverified beyond anecdotal influence.
Longevity as Post-Human Religion
- Interest in longevity in tech circles reflects a quasi-religious desire to transcend human limits and death.
- This pursuit merges tech, spirituality, and the dream of achieving godlike post-human existence.