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Microchips implanted in our brains and artificial intelligence that's much smarter than humans. It sounds like a science fiction novel, but could such technological advances be imminent?
That question keeps repeating itself. It's reminiscent of the final scene in the 2004 movie The Aviator, where Howard Hughes (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio) looks into a mirror and repeats, "The way of the future," over and over again.
The Movie Blog explained in 2020, "The final scene makes it clear that Hughes has a long and difficult life ahead of him."
But what about humanity and the advancement of technology? Do we have a long and difficult battle ahead?
Be informed, not misled.
A look at where technology and science are trying to take us.
One author says it is an unavoidable part of our timeline.
CBN News says, "Appearing on an episode of The Global Lane, the author of the book Dark Aeon exposes part of the globalist agenda for the future."
"Transhumanism is the great merger of humankind with the Machine. At this stage in history, it consists of billions using smartphones. Going forward, we'll be hardwiring our brains to artificial intelligence systems," author Joe Allen writes.
With an academic background in both science and theology, Allen confronts the paradox of what he calls "good people constructing a digital abomination."
It has been the subject of science fiction stories and movies for years. Technology fused with the human body or brain to help us think faster, fight off diseases, store memories, and, in theory, lead to a longer, more productive life.
Back in 2022, CBN reported, "But a recent John Zogby Strategies nationwide online poll of likely voters reveals widespread worries about such future technology that's being worked on by tech pioneers like Metaverse's Mark Zuckerburg, Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla and Space X, and Klaus Schwab, the founder of the World Economic Forum."
Zogby asked respondents about Musk's prediction on having a microchip implanted in a human brain: Is it the next level of human evolution/life-improving or do you worry it will bring humanity under totalitarian control?
An overwhelming 77% of those polled worry "microchip implants will be used to usher in a never-before-seen level of totalitarian control." Only 10% said it will improve lives, according to the pollster.
The same people were also asked about Schwab's prediction that humans will one day merge with Artificial Intelligence or A.I. Respondents were asked if they thought it would improve their lives or if they were not interested in joining with A.I.
Zogby reported almost 7 out of 10 (67%) prefered to remain human and "not merge with A.I." Only 18% believed the transition would bring about "new heights of prosperity."
Zogby Managing Director Jeremy Zogby noted the support for merging with A.I. appears highest among the 18 to 25-year-old age group.
"Does this signal a rift in our species down the road? When young adults mature, will as many still be willing to take a leap of faith towards tech-driven evolution?" he asked.
"It is likely to become the top issue of the day in the near future," Zogby predicted.
In 2022, they said, "So far, getting humans to adopt microchip implants has been a tough sell. Many Christians reject them because of concern they could be a prelude to 'the mark of the Beast' which Revelation chapter 13 says will be 'a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.'"
But the marketing "tipping point" for implantable chips, the far Left Atlantic noted in 2018, the time will come "when they become so useful they're hard to refuse; when their benefits outweigh our anxieties about them. It could happen sooner than you think."
There's another question that must be asked. Could A.I. implants mean a better life for those who are stricken with certain ailments or diseases?
"Musk has said he is cautiously optimistic that the implants could allow tetraplegic people to walk," according to the newspaper.
"We hope to have this in our first humans, which will be people that have severe spinal cord injuries like tetraplegics, quadriplegics, next year, pending FDA approval," he told the Wall Street Journal's CEO Council summit.
NOTE: Neuralink is currently conducting human trials. The first human trial, known as the PRIME study, commenced in January 2024, and the company is currently seeking additional participants, according to a Neuralink blog post. The trials focus on individuals with quadriplegia due to cervical spinal cord injury or ALS.
"I think we have a chance with Neuralink to restore full-body functionality to someone who has a spinal cord injury," he says.
Takeaway
There are obvious ethical questions that arise from the use of this technology.
Biochemist Dr. Fazale Rana, vice president of research and apologetics at Reasons to Believe, told Biola University that he thinks there's nothing wrong with using technology to augment or extend our capabilities.
"What I think is interesting and different about enhancement technologies is that we're actually looking at fundamentally altering our makeup as human beings," he said.
"But I think intuitively we would all recognize that there seems to be a line that we can cross where we suddenly are probably in an ethical gray zone where that enhancement may go one step too far."
Mentioning Musk's company's computer-brain interfaces, he noted, "Could we use computer-brain interfaces to actually tether our brains together where we could actually tether our brains with a number of different people that are in remote locations around the world?"
"And now we begin to see scenarios where you wonder, are we actually losing our identity as a human being? We'll begin to kind of meld our brains into a larger collective where maybe we would lose control of our capacity to think where somebody else could influence our actions through their thoughts," the biochemist said.
NOTE: Neuralink has successfully implanted brain chips in at least three human patients. The first implant, in Noland Arbaugh, allowed him to control a computer mouse and play chess using his thoughts. Neuralink's PRIME study aims to further explore the device's functionality and safety in individuals with paralysis.
I believe God created science, intending it to be a blessing to humanity.
However, "Scientism" is the belief that science and technology, not God, are the means to human salvation and redemption.
"Scientism is the belief that scientific inquiry and discovery will answer all of the existential questions in human life. All of those questions which religion seeks to satisfy, scientism holds up material discovery as the means of salvation. The means of transcendence. The Means of Redemption."
Romans 1:25 speaks against the act of worshiping created things (the creation) instead of the Creator (God). This is a condemnation of idolatry, specifically, the act of directing worship and service towards the things God has made rather than to God Himself.
"And because they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."
This passage is part of a larger discussion in Romans 1, where Paul outlines the consequences of humanity's rejection of God.
It highlights the idea that humans, by failing to recognize and glorify God through creation, are left to their own devices and experience the consequences of their choices.
The passage serves as a warning against idolatry, which is not limited to physical idols but can also include any created thing or pursuit that we elevate above God.
It underscores the importance of recognizing God as the ultimate authority and source of all blessings, and directing our worship and service to Him alone.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Engaged. Be Prayerful.
