Humans to attain immortality by 2029? Ex-Google scientist makes striking claim

'You won't live forever' is a catchphrase which has often been touted and has so far remained the proven truth of life - of humans and almost every other living being on planet earth. But soon, this catchphrase may well become the truth of the past, as humanity steps forward to attain immortality.

A former Google scientist has made a prediction, which if proven right, may redefine human civilisation as we know it. Ray Kurzweil, whose over 85 per cent of 147 predictions have been proven right, has predicted that humans will become immortal by 2029.

The revelation came when the 75-year-old computer scientist dwelled upon genetics, nanotechnology, robotics and more in a YouTube video posted by channel Adagio.

Kurzweil repeated a claim on humanity achieving immortality he made in his 2005 book 'The Singularity Is Near', citing advancements in nanotechnology enabling humans to live forever.

"2029 is the consistent date I have predicted for when an AI will pass a valid Turing Test and therefore achieve human levels of intelligence," Kurzweil is quoted to have said, while referring to a test of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human.

"I have set the date 2045 for the 'Singularity' which is when we will multiply our effective intelligence a billion fold by merging with the intelligence we have created," Kurzweil was quoted as saying by New York Post.

In a recent interview, Kurzweil added he believes that nanotechnology and robotics will give birth to 'nanobots', which will keep on fixing damaged cells and tissues, making humans immune to lethal diseases. 

Kurzweil's previous predictions

In 1990, Kurzweil, who also calls himself a futurist, predicted that the world's best chess player would lose to a computer by 2000, a prediction which came true three years earlier in 1997 when Croatia's Garry Kasparov lost to a computer Deep Blue.

He had also predicted that by 2010, most of the world would have access to high-bandwidth wireless internet. 

In 1999, he stated that a laptop worth $1000 would have more storage capacity than human brain.