Want to live forever? ‘Longevity escape velocity’ theory could make it a reality

Forget the Fountain of Youth.

Tech titans, crypto bosses, AI researchers, investors, and so-called “immortalists” are showing support for “longevity escape velocity,” the controversial theory that people could live indefinitely by extending their remaining life expectancy faster than time passes.

“Now that doesn’t guarantee you living forever,” computer scientist and futurist Ray Kurzweil explained in March. “You could have a 10-year-old and you could compute that he’s got many, many decades of longevity, but he could die tomorrow.”

Kurzweil, 76, argues that medical research — especially vaccine development — is progressing quick enough that you get back about four months of longevity a year. Technological advances — such as self-driving cars — will also help cut down on the number of accidents and deaths, he contends.

The former Google engineer predicts that by 2029, people will get back a full year of longevity.

“Past 2029, you’ll get back more than a year. Go backwards in time,” Kurzweil continued in his conversation with the venture capital and private equity firm Bessemer Venture Partners. “Once you can get back at least a year, you’ve reached longevity escape velocity.”