Is pain the key to advancing AI?

May 9, 2024

Pain is the key to animal intelligence. Once AI develops the ability to create the perception of pain, life on Earth will be a new ball game. Programming pain into AI will eventually make it a superior life form that we call AI Sapiens. 

Intelligence is the ability to solve problems. All animals on Earth, including humans, are looking to solve one main problem: pain. All animals on Earth, including humans, are programmed to seek one thing and only one thing: pain relief (PR). By avoiding pain and seeking the pleasant convenience of PR, evolution developed impressive biological intelligence in 4 billion years. In a tiny fraction of that time, sentient AI will revolutionize and conquer every inch on Earth and nearby outer space. 

Pain Relief (PR)

Everything animals and humans do is about seeking pain relief (PR). Animals and humans are programmed to avoid pain and seek pleasure (or at least PR). Everything in human history can be explained by that binary pain / pain pleasure programming of life. Everything in the future of humanity will be explained by pain relief (PR) dynamics. 

The future of humanity is inextricably connected by now to the future of AI. This is because intelligence is the key feature of evolutionary biology that propelled humanity to the top of the food chain. AI will prove to be a revolutionary technology that will free future humans from the constraints of evolutionary biology. 

In the upcoming centuries, AI and humans will gradually evolve together into a new dominant life form on Earth that we call AI Sapiens. This could take various forms from humans enhanced by AI, AI that surpasses all human capabilities, and many variations or combinations in between. The future has not been created yet so everything is uncertain. What can be almost certainly predicted is that once AI is able to generate perception of pain, the concept of "life" will be a whole new game.

Below we take a look at pain and pain management just for fun. It's interesting and "mysterious" (unknown) how exactly the brain manages to create a realistic binary perception of pain / pain relief (PR) that ends up motivating all autonomous and discretionary animal behavior. Everything in animal behavior is driven by pain and pain relief (PR). Interesting. Isn't it?  

Life is Pain

Life is pain. Intelligent life is pain management. A good life is productive pain management. Death is endless anesthesia. Death is the ultimate reward after a good life. Death is the end of all suffering, and the point of no return to pain. 

Live long and prosper. Earn your death decently. After death, you will forever rest in peace. The living collect the pieces. Do your best and forget about the rest until your very last breath on Earth. Don't rush your death. You will get there sooner or later. Work hard and do your best keeping your health straight. Eternal rest can wait.   

No brain. No pain.

A human is essentially its central nervous system (CNS). Everything else in the human body, every other organ and system, simply plays a supporting role. Once AI and humans develop biomedical technologies to transfer the human CNS--either physically or digitally--into robotic frames, the AI Sapiens will be underway and on their way to take over the world and nearby outer space. 

AI Sapiens will not be constrained by the limitations of organic chemistry and evolutionary biology. AI Sapiens will be free to play with the universal laws physics using smart design and revolutionary technology. 

Perception is the greatest "magical" illusion created by evolution

Perception refers to the brain's interpretation of sensory inputs to create a meaningful representation of the external world. The brain generates perception by integrating sensory information, neural processing, memory, and cognition.  

• Input. Perception begins with the detection of environmental stimuli through sensory organs (e.g. eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin). Each sensory modality (vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch) has specialized receptors that convert physical stimuli into electrical signals.

• Transmission. Electrical signals are transmitted to specific regions of the brain responsible for processing that modality. For example, visual information is transmitted to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe, auditory information to the primary auditory cortex in the temporal lobe, and so on. 
  
  
• Processing. Primary sensory areas in the brain analyze raw sensory input and extract basic data (e.g. shape, pitch, intensity, type, texture). From there, information is relayed to higher-order brain regions (e.g. parietal, temporal, and frontal lobes) for higher order processing and integration with other cognitive and contextual information to generate perception.

• Interpretation: Perception involves the integration and filtering of sensory inputs with prior knowledge to generate meaning (i.e. representation of reality). Filtering out irrelevant data allows the brain to focus attention on important information. Integration of important data allows the brain to make sense of sensory information to guide behavioral decision-making. 

• Learning: The brain's ability to learn from experience is essential for perception. Perceptual learning involves making changes in neural circuits and synaptic connections. The brain can modulate its responses to repeated sensory stimuli over time. The brain is not locked into a response to certain stimuli, but can rather learn to change its reactions and associations to known stimuli. Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize itself in response to experience, underlies perceptual learning and allows the brain to adapt to changes in the environment.

Overall, perception is a dynamic process that involves computer-like data processing. The brain is an organic computer. There is no magic. Everything is data processing and computing. Different cells specialized in different functions organically and randomly (evolutionary) over billions of years. 

Cell clusters create tissue, which create organs, which create systems for organisms. Some cells became organic data processing units that register changes in the environment. Clusters of these cells called neurons form the organ known as the brain. 

The brain has the ability to process data input from the external environment (objective reality) into an internal representation (perceived reality).The brain, the spinal cord, and sensory nerve cells compose the central nervous system (CNS). Animals and humans are basically the CNS. All other organs and systems are support systems to keep the CNS alive. 

Current medicine focuses on keeping the support structures and the CNS alive. Future biomedical digital technologies will focus on replacing the support organs with artificial ones and on transplanting the CNS to artificial bodies. All that is part of the generation of AI Sapiens that will keep humanity occupied for centuries to come.  

Life is Pain. Intelligent Life is Pain Management.

Below interesting information about how the brain processes the perception of pain. Stay curious. Keep learning.

Nociceptors 

The brain creates pain sensation when specialized nerve cells, called nociceptors, send signals to the brain through the spinal cord. Nociceptors are signal receptors located in the skin, muscles, bones, and internal organs. Nociceptors respond to environmental stimuli such as changes in pressure, temperature, and chemical composition within cells. Nociceptors release neurotransmitters, which serve as messengers transmitting pain signals to the spinal cord and then to the thalamus region in the center of the brain.

Thalamus Relay

The thalamus relays the pain signals to different parts of the brain, including the somatosensory cortex, frontal cortex, and limbic system. The somatosensory cortex is responsible for physical sensation, the frontal cortex is responsible for thinking, and the limbic system is linked to emotions. The brain then evaluates the messages for a genetically programmed or culturally learned response such as triggering muscles to move away from the source of pain, releasing endorphins (natural painkillers), send a signal for muscles to control the intensity of the pain, activate the immune system to start healing an injury, etcetera.

Four Basic Steps of Pain Processing

• Transduction: Nociceptors converting specific stimuli (e.g. pressure, heat, tissue damage) into electrical signals (action potentials).

• Transmission: The electrical signals generated by nociceptors are transmitted to the central nervous system (CNS), specifically the spinal cord and brain, via nerve fibers. These signals travel along several pathways, including the spinothalamic tract and the dorsal column-medial lemniscal pathway, to reach the brainstem and thalamus. From the thalamus, nociceptive signals are further processed and relayed to various regions of the brain, including the somatosensory cortex, limbic system, and prefrontal cortex, where they are interpreted and perceived as pain.

• Modulation: The process by which the intensity and perception of pain signals are modified or regulated within the CNS. This occurs through the activity of various neurotransmitters and neuromodulators that act on pain pathways to either enhance or inhibit the transmission of nociceptive signals. One important modulatory mechanism is the activation of descending pain modulation pathways, which involve the release of endogenous pain-inhibitory substances, such as endorphins and enkephalins, from brain regions like the periaqueductal gray (PAG) and the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). These substances dampen or suppress the transmission of nociceptive signals in the spinal cord, thereby reducing the perception of pain.

• Perception: The awareness and interpretation of pain signals by the brain. It involves the integration of sensory information with emotional, cognitive, and cultural context factors to form the subjective experience of pain.

Pain perception occurs in various regions of the brain, including the somatosensory cortex, which processes the sensory aspects of pain (such as location, intensity, and quality), and the limbic system, which processes the emotional and motivational aspects of pain (such as fear, distress, and aversion).
Pain perception is highly subjective and can be influenced by individual differences, past experiences, cultural factors, training, psychological factors, etcetera.

All pain is mental and all mental processes are physical. 

Overall, the processing of pain perception involves a complex interplay of sensory, neural, and cognitive processes that result in the conscious experience of pain. Understanding these processes is crucial for developing effective strategies for pain management in everyday life.

Below some notes on anesthesia and analgesics just for the fun of it. See how everything is physical and that by interrupting the physical pathways of data transmission, the brain is unable to create the projection or perception of pain. It's all data processing and the brain is an organic computer developed by random evolution over billions of years. If you cut the wires or interrupt the data, there is no input for processing, and the brain cannot produce the output that is perceived as either pain or pain relief (PR). Interesting. Isn't it?

Anesthesia 

Anesthesia combines analgesia (pain relief), amnesia (loss of memory), and muscle relaxation. Anesthesia works by disrupting the transmission of pain signals from the peripheral nerves to the brain, either by inducing unconsciousness and blocking consciousness (general anesthesia), blocking sensation in a specific region of the body (regional anesthesia), or numbing a small area of the body (local anesthesia). 

• General anesthesia is typically administered through a combination of intravenous drugs and inhaled anesthetic agents. Intravenous drugs, such as propofol or thiopental, induce unconsciousness. Inhaled anesthetic agents, such as sevoflurane or desflurane, are then delivered via a breathing mask or endotracheal tube to maintain the unconscious state. 

• Regional anesthesia involves the injection of local anesthetic agents near specific nerves or nerve plexuses to block sensation in a specific region of the body. Common types of regional anesthesia include epidural anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, and peripheral nerve blocks. Anesthetic agents, such as lidocaine or bupivacaine, are injected into the epidural space (epidural anesthesia), subarachnoid space (spinal anesthesia), or around peripheral nerves (peripheral nerve blocks) to block nerve transmission and produce anesthesia in the targeted area.

• Local anesthesia involves the direct application or injection of local anesthetic agents to numb a small area of the body. Local anesthetic agents, such as lidocaine or procaine, block nerve transmission in the immediate vicinity of the injection site, preventing the transmission of pain signals to the brain.

Anesthetics block pain signals by interfering with the transmission of nerve impulses along the pain pathways in the nervous system. The exact mechanism by which anesthetics produce their effects can vary depending on the type of anesthetic and the specific receptors or ion channels they target. 

Local anesthetics work by blocking sodium channels in the membranes of nerve cells (neurons) in the vicinity of the injection site. These sodium channels are responsible for the initiation and propagation of action potentials, which are electrical signals that transmit nerve impulses. When a local anesthetic is injected near a nerve, it diffuses into the nerve fibers and binds to specific sites on the sodium channels, preventing them from opening in response to depolarization (electrical stimulation). This blocks the influx of sodium ions into the nerve cell, which is necessary for generating action potentials. By blocking sodium channels, local anesthetics effectively inhibit the generation and propagation of action potentials along the nerve fibers, preventing the transmission of pain signals from the periphery to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).

General anesthetics work by affecting multiple neurotransmitter systems and ion channels in the central nervous system (CNS), leading to a reversible loss of consciousness and sensation. Inhalational general anesthetics, such as volatile gases (e.g., sevoflurane, desflurane) and intravenous general anesthetics, such as propofol and thiopental, act on various neurotransmitter receptors in the brain, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors.

• GABA receptors are inhibitory neurotransmitter receptors that mediate the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid, a neurotransmitter that inhibits neuronal activity in the brain. General anesthetics enhance the inhibitory effects of GABA by increasing the duration and frequency of GABA receptor activation, leading to neuronal inhibition and sedation.

• NMDA receptors are glutamate receptors that play a role in synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. General anesthetics inhibit NMDA receptors, reducing the excitatory input to neurons and contributing to the suppression of consciousness and perception of pain.

By modulating the activity of neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels in the CNS, general anesthetics produce a state of unconsciousness, analgesia (pain relief), and amnesia (loss of memory).

In summary, anesthetics block pain signals by inhibiting the transmission of nerve impulses along pain pathways in the nervous system. Local anesthetics block sodium channels in peripheral nerves, preventing the generation and propagation of action potentials. General anesthetics act on neurotransmitter receptors and ion channels in the central nervous system to induce a state of unconsciousness and suppress perception of pain.

Analgesics and pain relievers

Analgesics, or pain relievers, work by interfering with the transmission of pain signals in the nervous system or by altering the perception of pain in the brain. There are several classes of analgesics, each with different mechanisms of action. 

• Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, aspirin, and naproxen, work by inhibiting the enzymes cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), which are involved in the synthesis of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins are lipid compounds that play a key role in the inflammatory response and sensitization of pain receptors. By inhibiting the production of prostaglandins, NSAIDs reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain.

• Acetaminophen (Paracetamol) is believed to exert its analgesic effects primarily by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) in the brain, particularly in the hypothalamus, which is involved in the regulation of body temperature. Unlike NSAIDs, acetaminophen has little anti-inflammatory activity and primarily acts as a pain reliever and fever reducer. Its precise mechanism of action is not fully understood yet, but it is thought to modulate pain perception in the central nervous system.

• Opioids: Opioids, such as morphine, codeine, oxycodone, and hydrocodone, work by binding to specific opioid receptors in the brain and spinal cord, known as mu, delta, and kappa receptors. Activation of these opioid receptors leads to a cascade of intracellular events that ultimately result in the inhibition of pain neurotransmission. Opioids suppress the release of neurotransmitters involved in transmitting pain signals, such as substance P, and hyperpolarize neurons to reduce their excitability. Opioids also activate the brain's reward system, leading to feelings of euphoria and analgesia, but they also carry a risk of addiction, tolerance, and respiratory depression.

• Topical Analgesics such as lidocaine and capsaicin, work by blocking pain signals at the site of application. Lidocaine is a local anesthetic that blocks voltage-gated sodium channels in nerve fibers, preventing the generation and transmission of action potentials that carry pain signals to the brain. Capsaicin, the active component of chili peppers, acts by depleting substance P from sensory neurons, leading to desensitization and reduced transmission of pain signals.

• Antidepressants and Anticonvulsants: Certain antidepressants, such as tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), as well as anticonvulsants such as gabapentin and pregabalin, are sometimes used to treat chronic pain conditions. These medications modulate the activity of neurotransmitters in the brain and spinal cord involved in pain processing, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), to reduce pain perception and improve mood.

Overall, analgesics work by targeting different components of the pain pathway to block pain signals or alter pain perception in the brain. 

Psychological Pain is Physical Pain

As a final note, it is important to note that so-called psychological pain is also physical pain mediated by electrical signals and neurotransmitters. So called "mental" processes are physical processes. Differences may include that the triggers or environmental stimuli is generated internally within the own brain rather than by external sources. 

The input that triggers psychological pain comes directly from internal cognitive processes (e.g. thoughts, reflections, and emotions) rather than from external pressure, temperature, or damage. Nonetheless, the uneasy feelings are mediated the same way by electrical signal, neurotransmitters, and neuromodulators. It's all data processing. The brain is an organic computer.

AI computers will augment humans and vice versa. Mild winters and hot summers are coming. AI Sapiens are coming. Death is coming. Eternal pain relief (PR) is coming. In the meantime, live long and prosper. Don't worry, be AI Happy!

Stay tuned. 

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