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We are a quarter of the way into the 21st Century and human evolutionary forces are being accelerated through the concerted efforts of scientific and technological exploration and manipulation. There is the expectation that the next iteration of human existence will be characterized by a faster, stronger, smarter, longer living, more efficient human being engineered artificially but who will naturally reproduce the Next Iteration of Human.
Man manipulated evolution -- Transhumanism -- is transforming our existence, the contours of which are slowly beginning to form with the infiltration of artificial intelligence into our everyday routines. The urgency of the situation is apparent to many; the powers-that-be have nothing but enticing conversations about a universal basic income, and Hollywood bromides to keep the smart and smarter middle-class achievers vaguely interested in holding up an Empire of fake jobs. The real conversation about the transformative possibilities that are at the tip of the spear of human technological development are reserved for the Initiated amongst the rich and powerful in business, government, and the leading universities.
But not so fast.
Drs. Maggie and David Clark, former DARPA scientists, have gone into business for themselves ostensibly producing some of the over-the-counter genetic fixes that have now become part of the norm. In reality, however, they along with a coterie of international bio-hackers and open-source activists, are leveling the social and political playing field through the secret distribution of advanced human enhancement technologies Government and Corporate collaborators (the “Corporatocracy”) are trying to sequester.
David and Maggie are African American scientists at the most forward thinking agency in the USA, and have decided to give up their careers to embark on an ambitious project to manufacture competitiveness from their worldwide headquarters on the Southeast Coast of Nigeria, in order to balance the distribution of power worldwide, and make the world a better place for their children.
Is this story true or false?
The answer to the question is irrelevant, really. The fact that most of us could not say without equivocation that the story is too way out to be true is the point of the thought exercise.
My background is as an entertainment entrepreneur that has represented talented artists and innovative companies as an Attorney; discovered and distributed groundbreaking films and filmmakers as a Film Distributor, and as a Producer that has created Evergreen programming for a mainstream broadcaster.
"The Next Iteration", an exciting, mind-bending Series that will attempt to capture the visceral feeling of techno-bio acceleration, social compression, political conflict, and cultural upheaval that defines our global existence in the age of Genetics, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Nano processes.
More importantly, TNI will be an opportunity to talk about how transformative human enhancement technology will impact the relationship between social stakeholders at every level. Our series imagines a group of non-conformist scientists and innovators committed to a vision of humanity that strives for prosperity of spirit and discovery and actualization, and understands human enhancement technology as an opportunity to flatten the curve of artificial inequalities and prepare society for the next iteration of our existence defined by these transformative technologies.
The Next Iteration is part thought experiment, part forecasting exercise exploring the question, "with this power, what is our vision of the future and what would be an actionable path to realizing that vision."
In TNI, the Series, our protagonists, two "exceptional" Black people working in rare, privileged environments, insulated in an elite world with visions of its own cosmic grandeur, is where the revolution in how we think about our individual accomplishments in these exceptional worlds begins. This couple is eschewing the accolades and perks that come with elite success to embark on a life-changing struggle with people and institutions they never knew existed, to achieve goals anathema to the dark-side of the national security state.
This is not a Hollywood story because it raises troubling implications for the Imperial Court of financiers, myth-makers and their acolytes. These challenges are mirrored in the real world challenges that Africa has in overcoming years of underdevelopment of it's principle resource, its People. These international legal, administrative and philosophical structures that produce underdevelopment, are not going away and can be depended on to act consistently going into this new technological future.
The Next Iteration redefines success for these elite scientists and innovators, people who otherwise remain hidden figures to their communities not only as popular celebration, but as leaders, and people that provide opportunity and vision.
Controlling their Images & Stories, Projecting a Plausible and Progressive Future is the 4th Industrial Revolution for Africa. Africans owe it to themselves, and the World, to be the masters of their images and stories; to be the voices that their children hear and the faces they see in their dreams and that manifest into their reality.
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