I recently became fixated with the implications of Neuralink and the future of neurological implants. Don’t get me wrong I am all for the development of AI and am extremely excited to see our coexistence flourish but there needs to be more research into how these integrations will affect us in the long term.
*To preface, a lot of the questions and research I propose and talk about are speculative.*
Our reliance and access towards technology in general puts into question whether we are reconfiguring our memory, more specifically our working memory through this dependency. I wanted to ask what will happen if we remove this digital extension/ external memory bank? I predict that as technology evolves, our dependency will grow stronger and cause problems to arise in this cognitive ability. What might happen in the future if we are to have embedded technology storing our memory (ie. Neuralink)? Without active training of the brain, there is a possibility that parts of our working memory will atrophy.
The Current Context
There is a phenomenon called “Digital Dementia”, that suggests that our working memory system engages only in finding the source of information rather than retaining and rehearsing the content to store in the long-term memory system. This strengthens our ability to find information but decreases our ability to remember what that information is. Nicholas Carr, an author, and journalist puts it into perspective by saying,
Storing information externally is not a new concept but the way in which we do so and the frequency of this behavior has changed the way our working memory functions. Due to the lack of stimulation of our sensory inputs when using digital devices for things such as Googling questions, our memory retention weakens, whereas learning by writing, drawing, and verbal practice increases retention. A modern example of this is our inability to recall phone numbers. Due to the convenience of storing all of our friends’ and families’ phone numbers, we do not bother to remember those numerical sequences but simply know where to find them on our devices. This may not be a bad thing as one can argue that this leaves more room for important information but it is a major stepping stone for what is about to come.
What does our future look like?
Neuralink is another of Elon Musk’s startups developing technologies that can bridge the gap between man and machine. It is somewhat of a mystical proposition that presents us with a futuristic opportunity to become a modern-day Centaur.
Neuralink is developing a technology that will become more and more intertwined with our daily lives. This makes it our responsibility to step back and reflect on these actions to make sure they are bringing the utmost value to our lives.
Understanding that these effects have implications on all levels whether that is individually or within a larger community (ie. task completion within the workplace and education system as well as relationships and emotional development) can lead us to better speculate how our future could emerge.
Now for the purpose of Neuralink, they state that these technologies are for the benefit of those with clinical disorders but it is can only be assumed that these will have downstream effects on the consumer market.
With my understanding of digital dementia and working memory, my worry is that our knowledge will be at the hands of these devices. With long exposure to this embedded technology, we will no longer be able to independently understand information but rather find the source to our answers without needing to move a muscle. The difference between our current interactions with technology and the future of Neuralink is this seamless integration. If humans already feel as though our phones are an extension of our minds how will this transform our decisions once they become an integral part of our bodies? This reminds me of the movie Wall-E, where our society succumbs to cognitive laziness at the ease of technology. I feel as though this is somewhat of a regression in terms of human evolution. Throughout history, memory and knowledge have been seen as an essential strength of our identity and hierarchy in the ecosystem. Years and years again we pass down our stories to maintain the legacy of those who have passed to leverage our knowledge. Now, what happens if neurological implants store this strength for us? Can we still be considered the most intelligent beings or is it our technology that is slowly taking on that role to become greater than man?
What happens if our knowledge is stolen or hacked? Will, we still have the same capabilities we once had before the integration of Neuralink or will it be too late for neural plasticity to help us regain our memory? There are many ethical questions to be asked here in terms of data privacy, which I hope Neuralink puts into deep consideration.
As active users and designers of these developing technologies, it is our responsibility to take a systems approach, factoring in the type of behavioral patterns we are promoting and bring awareness to users who utilize these technologies.
