a nd t herefore ou r behaviou r. In t he
realm of decision-making, he thinks
we need to consider, now, who will
be responsible if future AI helps us to
make a bad decision.
He’s not so worried about AI becoming
conscious, or accidentally modifying
ourselves out of existence. “I’m not sure
I’d worry too much specifically about
no longer being the same person,” he
says. “We are always changing who we
are, even if we do not perceive this.”
Set h i s a l so concer ned about
equality. “We can get caught up in the
technological and scientific excitement,
but equality of access is impor ta nt.
We cou ld st a r t to see people who
a re developing and purchasing t his
stuff pull apa rt f rom t he rest of t he
population. That’s something that ought
to keep people up at night.”
Whatever we choose to spend ou r
per son a l wor r y budget s on, BC I
tech nology is adva ncing fast. Some
transhumanists (who think technology
should be used to enhance the human
cond it ion) have a l ready i mpla nted
microchips in their bodies to act as door
keys or credit cards. The technology
to implant microchips in t he brain,
or perhaps a non-invasive, removable
a lter n at ive, i s not i nconceivably
far away.
Whatever happens next, Valeriani,
Schneider and Seth agree that we need
to keep the ethical and philosophical
dilemmas in mind as the technology
evolves. The a nswer to whet her we
should upgrade our brain relates to bigger
‘shoulds’ about fairness, responsibility
and who we consider ourselves to be.
Perhaps it a lso relates to what sor t
of people we
want to be. Is it
enough to wa nt
to be upgraded?
Or should we
be upg r ad i ng
our social and
ethical ambitions
instead?these enhancements ... is the person who emerges truly
you?” She thinks there will come a point when a person
replaces so much of their brain with artificial components
that they’ve actually killed themselves without realising it.
This riffs on classic thought experiments. How much of
our brain do we need to keep in order to be the same person?
If we suddenly lose our memories, does this mean we’re not
us? What about if a brain injury affects our personality?
What makes me ‘me’?THINKING AHEAD
University of Sussex neuroscientist Prof Anil Seth likes to
think about the potential problems around BCIs in terms
of a ‘worry budget’. As we only have so much worry to go
round, he argues, we should spend it on more immediate
concerns related to our use of technology, such as social
media algorithms, which inf luence what we see onlineby D R L U C Y
MADDOX
(@l u c y_m a d d ox)
Lucy is a consultant
clinical psychologist who
writes about psychology
and neuroscience.“ I F Y O U P U R C H A S E A B U N C H O F
T H E S E E N H A N C E M E N T S ... I S T H E
PERSON WHO EMERGES TRULY YOU?”
BRAIN IMPLANTS FEATUREa nd t herefore ou r behaviou r. In t he
realm of decision-making, he thinks
we need to consider, now, who will
be responsible if future AI helps us to
make a bad decision.
He’s not so worried about AI becoming
conscious, or accidentally modifying
ourselves out of existence. “I’m not sure
I’d worry too much specifically about
no longer being the same person,” he
says. “We are always changing who we
are, even if we do not perceive this.”
Set h i s a l so concer ned about
equality. “We can get caught up in the
technological and scientific excitement,
but equality of access is impor ta nt.
We cou ld st a r t to see people who
a re developing and purchasing t his
stuff pull apa rt f rom t he rest of t he
population. That’s something that ought
to keep people up at night.”
Whatever we choose to spend ou r
per son a l wor r y budget s on, BC I
tech nology is adva ncing fast. Some
transhumanists (who think technology
should be used to enhance the human
cond it ion) have a l ready i mpla nted
microchips in their bodies to act as door
keys or credit cards. The technology
to implant microchips in t he brain,
or perhaps a non-invasive, removable
a lter n at ive, i s not i nconceivably
far away.
Whatever happens next, Valeriani,
Schneider and Seth agree that we need
to keep the ethical and philosophical
dilemmas in mind as the technology
evolves. The a nswer to whet her we
should upgrade our brain relates to bigger
‘shoulds’ about fairness, responsibility
and who we consider ourselves to be.
Perhaps it a lso relates to what sor t
of people we
wantto be. Is it
enough to wa nt
to be upgraded?
Or should we
be upg r ad i ng
our social and
ethical ambitions
instead?these enhancements ... is the person who emerges truly
you?” She thinks there will come a point when a person
replaces so much of their brain with artificial components
that they’ve actually killed themselves without realising it.
This riffs on classic thought experiments. How much of
our brain do we need to keep in order to be the same person?
If we suddenly lose our memories, does this mean we’re not
us? What about if a brain injury affects our personality?
What makes me ‘me’?THINKING AHEAD
University of Sussex neuroscientist Prof Anil Seth likes to
think about the potential problems around BCIs in terms
of a ‘worry budget’. As we only have so much worry to go
round, he argues, we should spend it on more immediate
concerns related to our use of technology, such as social
media algorithms, which inf luence what we see onlinebyD R L U C Y
MADDOX
(@l u c y m a d d ox)
Lucy is a consultant
clinical psychologist who
writes about psychology
and neuroscience.“ I F Y O U P U R C H A S E A B U N C H O F
T H E S E E N H A N C E M E N T S ... I S T H E
PERSON WHO EMERGES TRULY YOU?”
BRAIN IMPLANTS FEATURE