Intelligence augmentation is becoming increasingly familiar in the technology landscape. However, some have suggested that the concept of augmenting people's minds is problematic. Competing beliefs about what constitutes the mind prompts the question of if one cannot fully understand the mind, how does one know when the mind has been augmented? On the other hand, some believe that cognitive augmentation is inevitable. Without it, humans' long-term survival could be questionable, particularly given the history of augmentations and how they have advanced society as it is known today.
In recent years, technology such as Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) may have pushed the boundaries beyond what many may perceive to be an uncomfortable step too far. BCI, also known as Neuralink, has been conceptualised to directly link into the human brain, suggesting its capability could stretch into augmented intelligence, memory, and cognitive response time. Imagine being able to think of a question and having instant access to that information as if it were your thought. This technology is being positioned as a scientific breakthrough, holding significant promise in brain augmentation and neurological rehabilitation.
However, people have already voiced concerns about surveillance capitalism, where data relating to an individual's preferences, habits, aspirations, and beliefs, amongst other personalised data, is used by organisations to gain an economic benefit. Social media is an obvious example of where surveillance capitalism is already taking place on a mass scale and billions of people have accepted it. However, their awareness of what exactly they are accepting is debatable. Of course, there will also be concerns amongst the cybersecurity community who'll be saying how can technology linked into the human mind be made safe. Having a computer or, indeed, a system hacked can have severe consequences, but the damage can be repaired in time. However, the risk of the human brain being subjected to a cyber-attack could never conceivably be entertained by society today.
What's next?
Will we see more progress on intelligence augmentation in the next decade? Absolutely! Will people readily accept technologies such as BCI when the time comes? Not initially and maybe not at all. It'll likely take time and may not fully take off, especially if problems are encountered. But as people begin to take up the technology and if the benefits become more pronounced, a two-tiered society could become the 'norm' where people are categorised as augmented or not. Those who are not augmented may become disadvantaged, which could lead to a fear of missing out and thus an increase in adoption amongst those once sceptical.
What can be said for sure is that technology is advancing into realms beyond that which could have been imagined only a few decades ago. It's undoubtedly an exciting time for technology, but ensuring technology is used within societies acceptable moral boundaries is likely to continue to be the critical moderator.