Humans to become 'God-like cyborgs' within 200 years as they 'upgrade themselves'

Within the next 200 years, humans will become God-like cyborgs, merging man and machine to live forever, a professor has said.

Yuval Noah Harari, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, said human dissatisfaction will drive mankind to "upgrade themselves" – and that cyborg technology will allow them to do this.

According to the Telegraph, he said: "I think it is likely in the next 200 years or so Homo sapiens will upgrade themselves into some idea of a divine being, either through biological manipulation or genetic engineering of by the creation of cyborgs, part organic part non-organic.

"It will be the greatest evolution in biology since the appearance of life. Nothing really has changed in four billion years biologically speaking. But we will be as different from today's humans as chimps are now from us."

Harari argued that humans have become the dominant species because of our ability to invent fictions – like religion and money – that help to bind society together. However, he said the departure from belief in religion will spur on change to the human race.

"God is extremely important because without religious myth you can't create society. Religion is the most important invention of humans. As long as humans believed they relied more and more on these gods they were controllable.

"With religion it's easy to understand. You can't convince a chimpanzee to give you a banana with the promise it will get 20 more bananas in chimpanzee heaven. It won't do it. But humans will.

"But what we see in the last few centuries is humans becoming more powerful and they no longer need the crutches of the Gods. Now we are saying we do not need God just technology."

He said Silicon Valley is now the most interesting place in the world from a religious perspective because they believe all problems can be solved with technology.

Indeed, many technology companies have announced plans to fuse machines and humans. Zoltan Istvan, a US presidential candidate for the Transhumanist Party, believes US tax dollars should be used to eliminate disability by investing in emerging technology such as exoskeleton suits.

However, Harari warned that the main crux of this investment in technology is that only the rich will be able to afford it. Harari said the gap between the rich and poor will widen, with the rich potentially living forever as the poor die out in droves.

"We are programmed to be dissatisfied," he added. "Even when humans gain pleasure and achievements it is not enough. They want more and more."