Noland Arbaugh was the first human to receive a brain chip from Elon Musk's Neuralink, allowing him to control computers with his thoughts. His story raises questions not only about the potential of this technology but also about the ethical implications of merging human minds with machines.
It might all be hype and bluster. But it’s possible to imagine a future where the sum total of all human knowledge is available to anyone with a brain implant. They could switch off their anxiety – or their empathy – as required. With total recall of every moment in their lives and every piece of information they ever encountered, every problem solved before the conscious mind could consider it, life for these people would be pretty much frictionless. In that world, wouldn’t there be incredible inequality between those who had BCIs and those who didn’t?