Where I end and you begin: the potential of neuroprosthetics
Francis McCabe
Like most, I would be willing to make sacrifices to improve on that last mark in a test, to push me just above that grade boundary. But would people be willing to have implants into their brains to improve cognitive ability, memory, and, eventually, to extend the capacity of the human mind in ways not yet even conceived of. The technological hive of Silicon Valley is alive with the buzz of minds, working to outline whether so- called ‘neurotechnology’ could be the next advance in new -gen tech. Elon Musk says humans ‘need to become cyborgs to be relevant in an artificial intelligence age’ for risk of becoming ‘house cats’ to the growing advance of AI. Although statements like these are perhaps more suitable in a place such as Musk’s Twitter, the basis of the idea is not wholly incorrect. Since the industrial era, we have developed machinery that can work double the hours consistently faster, and most importantly, cheaper. As a consequence, human labour in many industries has become redundant. To give one example, in the automotive industry a handful of skilled operators can coordinate an assembly line of machines to replace hundreds of minimum wage workers. Robotic replacement of our jobs is becoming less of a futuristic dream. Self-driving cars are seen on our news headlines. Could we see our London cabbies, our local bus drivers, and truck drivers delivering our produce to supermarkets replaced by robots? Self-driving vehicles will ultimately be safer than our current drivers, and, most importantly to the company execs, will increase profits. Companies like Cat are currently investing in autonomous dozing, drilling and hauling solutions for mining and construction industries. Farming company John Deere is developing tractors and lawnmowers powered by self-driving robots. In the near future we could see millions of jobs lost to the growing capability of AI and robotics. With this on the horizon, Musk’s message sounds more appealing. His idea of a ‘merger of biological intelligence and machine intelligence’ gives us ho pe; humans can still retain jobs that require more nuanced cognitive thinking, while still having the machine power to keep up to our AI competitors. The idea of ‘Brain - Computer Interfaces’ is not new: they are commonly used in measuring brain activity, and more recently, to develop physical prosthetics for those who have lost limbs to be able to manipulate them using the power of their mind. Musk, however, plans to manipulate these interfaces ‘bi - directionally’ . W here Neuralink (Musk’s new cornerstone in h is technological expansion) was only previously used to treat trauma patients under previous owners Mohseni and Nudo (having proven their discoveries could help brain damaged rats in 2013), Musk sees a future in neurotechnology improving our cognitive skills and memory, going so far as to bypass speaking or texting to convey thoughts. However, here is where the real insight begins. The song, to which this article was given its name, ‘Where I End and You Begin’ by Radiohead, from their 2003 album Hail to the Thief is about personal dissociation.
Enmeshment is the description of a relationship in which personal boundaries become unclear and blurred. Similar questions can be asked of the advent of n eurotechnology: if humans become ‘cyborgs’,
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