The concept of Human Augmentation refers to the physical enhancement of the human body through the use of technology, for example, by inserting a chip in the brain to make it work faster and access a wide range of information instantaneously from the Internet.
Human Augmentation has long been a topic of interest in science fiction, but in recent years it has begun to become an increasingly near reality. For example, there are now enhanced prostheses that allow people with mobility disabilities to regain the ability to walk, and there are also brain implants that can improve memory and cognitive performance.
However, Human Augmentation also raises some ethical and social concerns.
What are the ethical limits of human enhancement?
How will it affect society in general?
Will there be a widening gap between those who can afford augmentation technology and those who cannot?
These are some of the questions that should be considered as we move forward in this field.
A recent study conducted by Kaspersky, a company specializing in cybersecurity, revealed that the general public is in favor of human augmentation techniques with the aim of "improving human intelligence".
One in five people (22%) would choose to improve their intelligence or intellectual capacity with the help of technology if they had the possibility; additionally, 52% of people consider that it is "completely" or "quite" acceptable to use Human Augmentation techniques to improve the learning capacity of children at school. This is one of the conclusions of the survey on the perception of this disruptive trend.
Interestingly, interest in increasing brain capacity is highest among 18-34 year olds (27%); it decreases to 22% among 35-54 year olds and drops to 17% for people over 55. In terms of gender, women (23%) are slightly more likely to improve their brain potential and intelligence than men (22%).
The survey, conducted among 14,500 adults in 16 countries, revealed that more than half of people (63%) would consider augmenting their bodies with technology to enhance them, either permanently or temporarily. Some respondents even expressed a desire to connect smartphones to their bodies, and nearly half of those surveyed (49%) believe it is "completely" or "mostly" acceptable to leverage Human Augmentation to make people smarter in general
About the report
The fieldwork was conducted by Opinium Research between July 9 and July 27, 2020. Opinium surveyed 14,500 adults in 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
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Source: Kapersky official blog
