Controversial American biohacker Bryan Johnson has made the extraordinary claim that he will "achieve immortality" within the next fifteen years. The 48-year-old, who asserts his biological age is over a decade younger, took to social media platform X this week to declare his ambitious target of conquering death by 2039.
The 2039 Immortality Target and AI's Crucial Role
Johnson stated that for the first time in Earth's history, a "conscious being" can now realistically strive for eternal life. He pinpointed the year 2039 as his goal, at which point he will be 62 years old chronologically. While admitting the precise path remains unknown, he identified artificial intelligence as a pivotal factor in this quest.
"We currently do not know how 2039 immortality will be achieved," Johnson wrote. "But we know immortality is possible because nature has already solved it." He framed the challenge not as an insurmountable physics problem, but as a biological engineering puzzle that evolution has "cracked multiple times."
He believes 2039 is a reasonable deadline due to the accelerated, AI-driven rate of innovation. Johnson envisions AI evolving from a mere assistant into a primary scientist, empowering researchers with unprecedented capabilities for discovery. This, combined with advanced biomarker measurement, could create a rapid, closed-loop system for human improvement.
Radical Methods and Historical Precedents
Johnson's pronouncement follows years of controversial and expensive experimentation aimed at reducing his biological age, costing an estimated $2 million per year. His extreme protocols have included receiving blood plasma transfusions from his teenage son and meticulously monitoring nocturnal erections. He claims these efforts have resulted in his body largely operating at "elite 18-year-old levels" for heart, fertility, and hormone health over the past six years, though he concedes his brain is anatomically 42 and he has hearing loss in one ear.
To bolster his theory, Johnson cited examples from nature, including the "immortal" Turritopsis dohrnii jellyfish, which can revert its cells to a youthful state, and regenerating freshwater hydra. His approach involves measuring the biological age of every organ, applying the best scientific rejuvenation protocols, and repeating the process.
He also revealed that thousands of his organ clones are being built in dishes to test drugs and therapies, though details remain scarce. Johnson's quest mirrors humanity's ancient fascination with eternal life, from the Epic of Gilgamesh and Egyptian potions to the 1492 blood transfusion attempted on Pope Innocent VIII and Diane de Poitiers drinking gold elixirs in 16th-century France.
A Defiant Stance Amidst a 'Suicidal Species'
Johnson's mission emerges as US life expectancy, after a period of decline, shows a slight uptick to 76 years on average. He delivered a scathing critique of modern human behaviour, labelling humanity a "suicidal species" that engages in primitive, self-destructive habits and allows profitable products to shorten lives.
"The 2039 goal points us in the right direction. To say yes to life and no to death. Defiance even," he declared. While the longest confirmed human lifespan belongs to France's Jeanne Calment, who died at 122, some researchers like Professor Stephen Austad believe the first 150-year-old is already alive today.
Johnson concluded with a philosophical reflection: "I think this is the coolest goal imaginable. I find it hard to believe that of all the people who’ve lived, it’s us who get the opportunity to have this moment." His defiant project continues to push the boundaries of science, ethics, and the very definition of a human lifespan.
