Our understanding of the brain has increased substantially over the last few years. One result is that we have been able to develop simple brain implantation devices which affect various aspects of the brain. Some of these devices are now well established, for example those used to tackle the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (they produce electrical pulses which dramatically reduce tremors). However, we are getting close to more advanced implants that will allow the brain to interface directly with computer technology. This will undoubtedly have exciting medical implications, for example in treating paralysis and sensory impairment.
However, it won’t be long before we can use the same kind of neural-technology interface to integrate artificial intelligence into a human brain, and here the implications quickly become quite sinister. Take ChatGPT, the much publicised online AI (artificial intelligence) that can answer questions and write human-like prose. A human with a neural link to something like ChatGPT would be largely omniscient (all-knowing). Give the AI the ability to hack banking and military computer systems and they will be pretty much omnipotent (all-powerful).
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