Background to this slightly weird question: I found one of my old an English exams on science fiction and dystopian literature from the 11th grade in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany (ca. 2004) and found a similar question. The idea back then was to discuss the pro- and cons of a BCI (and I objectively did not do to well back then) . I am interested about people’s opinions.
Probably but I’ll wait a bit. Google glass was insanely popular for a hot minute.
Is it an open hardware and software interface?
You’ve reminded me that I’ve been meaning to look more seriously at an Ultracortex.
Assuming the implementation is done in such a way that I am not indirectly owned by the manufacturer of the BCI and am capable of maintaining its software and firmware myself…yes yes absolutely yes stick that shit in my head.
But if it is not open source and I’m expected to be tied to some corporate entity just to utililze it, no, absolutely not.
Similar feelings. I’m far less worried about the tech than the corpos behind the tech. There are other concerns, like immune system going haywire, constant EM radiation, etc. But the capitalist tech bros would be my chief concern.
Blessed be the omnissiah! But no, in this world companies would ruin it in some way by making the T&Cs insane and loading ads into your brain or something
If it was open source and I controlled it input output wise then yes.
(and secure and safe)
…is what’s getting me. Secure and safe for whom? Secure and safe for the company? Then fuck no. Secure and safe for me? Then yeah, implant that thing!
The venn diagram of “wireless connectivity” and “secure and safe” is two non-overlapping circles. Now, consider that something crammed inside your brain probably won’t have a USB port protruding from your skull.
After 45 years of living I’ve learned that the future sucks and capitalism ruins everything. So no, I’ll pass on the brain ship. If I’m disabled enough to need one, I live in America and there’s plenty of gun stores.
Judging by how tech has basically used it to spy, control, and advertise to people, there is no way I would let more of my data get in the hands of these ghouls. The only way this could happen is if there were stringent government controls that put the ownership of data into the hands of people with walls around that data preventing governments from accessing it. At this point, none of this seems possible.
Only if it could upload my consciousness to the cloud after I die like in that one episode of Black Mirror where the old women end up dying together but they end up living in a custom-built paradise forever.
No. Just no.
Can add a few more nos to that
I’d love to have access to the tech, but not if it meant corporate data-miners having access to my every thought and sensation.
I prefer my electric meatball to be fully organic.
The way the world is moving towards the subscription model - no way. Imagine some company having the ability to remotely disable the chip.
If the BCI was implanted with no external communication, perhaps. Depends on how it will benefit me.
Yes but only if it’s actually secure and safe ie. fully open source
Agree. I would also insist on it being supported by a socialised health system with control over pharmaceutical pricing.
This. We already have cybernetic eyes, but the company went bellyup, so once the ones already installed stop working, the users are fucked. If it were open source, they’d be some effort, either corporate or community to create an update.
