What Could Happen If the Brain and Computer Are Merged?

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a system that allows the brain to receive information directly from a computer. These interfaces have already been used in animal experiments to enhance perception, motor skills, and even memory. For humans, BCIs also hold significant potential—but they can also cause harm. Additionally, a range of ethical questions arise, which have been analyzed by Mark Ettian and Martha Farah in an article for Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience.

Science Fiction or Reality?

A frequently discussed issue with brain-computer interfaces is the possible emergence of “superhuman” abilities. This idea is often met with skepticism both among the general public and in scientific circles (Lipsman et al., 2009; Lebedev, 2014). Some fear being overtaken by cyborgs with superior cognitive and motor abilities, while others worry that the interface could control the mind. A third group sees enormous benefits for humanity, elevating both individuals and society as a whole.

All these views are still hypothetical. First, the authors note a strong emotional reaction to the prospect of a computerized brain. Second, real-world experience with BCIs is still very limited. As a result, our opinions are mostly based on emotion: either a “wise aversion” or blind faith that technology can fix and improve everything.

Three Eras of Brain-Computer Interfaces

Long-Term Prospects

This category includes the potential for BCIs to enhance the human brain, which could significantly impact information processing and emotions. It’s possible that such cyborgs might view us as a different, lower form of life—much as we now view chimpanzees. There’s also the risk of losing individuality. If the system is used for direct “brain-to-brain” contact, it could create new ways of communication, but also influence the human psyche.

Would we still be human if we could see infrared light, memorize an entire phone book, or communicate solely through consciousness? Would we be human if we gave up our status as the smartest beings on Earth, or would those enhanced beings represent a new form of humanity? Would we be human if our brains no longer functioned independently from others? These questions raise a broader issue: what does it mean to be human?

Medium-Term Prospects

This section deals with questions less tied to existential and metaphysical aspects. First, what obstacles might arise when implementing BCIs for patient treatment? One likely issue is cost. It’s hard to even estimate how much it would take to augment your brain with a computer, which could lead to inequality in access to BCI-based therapies.

How should patients be monitored? What are the risks and benefits of such therapy? Is there a chance that a patient could be hacked and have their brain controlled by a third party? While security can be developed for any system, experience with modern information technology shows that no system is ever completely immune to such attacks. This raises a grim possibility—the potential to hack into the system controlling human thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

Finally, there are BCIs for enhancing brain capabilities. Unlike drugs, which can only work within existing brain networks, BCIs could add new senses, actions, and abilities—radically expanding human potential. This shift from therapy to enhancement is already seen in many areas of medicine; for example, students taking drugs to improve focus and boost academic performance.

Short-Term Prospects

Compared to the challenges awaiting us in the medium and long term, some questions are already arising today. For example, how are clinical trials conducted and how are results evaluated? Will BCIs be developed only for the most profitable purposes, leaving many “orphan” diseases without attention? How will the focus on profit affect the advancement of these technologies? And given the extensive collaboration between government-funded scientists and private device manufacturers, what should agreements on intellectual property and clinical trials look like to maximize innovation and patient benefit?

The future is approaching steadily, step by step, but ethical analysis often races ahead. Of course, the desire to anticipate and more effectively address possible ethical issues is commendable. But such long-term forecasting can be counterproductive—for example, because it distracts from vital, but more down-to-earth, ethical questions we face today.