Alex Vilin
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, known for his bold predictions, has once again captured the attention of the global community. This time, it’s about a project that could bring artificial intelligence closer to direct interaction with the human brain.
Merge Labs, a laboratory developing a fundamentally new brain-computer interface, is at the center of this ambitious undertaking.
This isn’t just a technological leap, but a potential revolution in the very nature of human cognition, learning, and communication.
From the perspective of humanism and the development of human intelligence, such a project raises fundamental questions: “What is more important to us: technological brain enhancement or traditional development through education?” “Is microchipping a logical continuation of evolution or a dangerous deviation from the essence of humanity?”
Brain-computer interfaces have been around for decades, helping paralyzed people communicate and control prosthetics. However, the project discussed by Altman envisions a qualitatively different level – two-way communication, in which AI not only reads brain signals but can also transmit information directly to neural tissue.
This could mean:
– Instant access to information and computations.
– Direct communication between people without speaking.
– Enhanced cognitive abilities: memory, attention, learning speed.
But this utopia lurks behind the risks: cyberattacks on consciousness, manipulation of thoughts and emotions, dependence on tech corporations, and deepening social inequality.
In terms of developing human intelligence, we face a choice between two paths:
1. Classical education: development through effort
Education is not simply the transfer of information. It is the process of developing critical thinking, emotional intelligence, ethical guidelines, and social skills. Education teaches us to be human, to ask questions, to make mistakes, to experience insights, to debate, to create. It develops not only intelligence but also character. Investing in high-quality, accessible, and continuous education is a proven path to unlocking human potential without the risks associated with interfering with biology.
2. Technological Enhancement: Intelligence as a Service
Chipping offers a fundamentally different approach, directly downloading knowledge and skills, bypassing a lengthy learning process. It’s tempting, but will it provide true understanding or merely an illusion of competence? Will there be room for curiosity if any question can be answered instantly? Will unique experiences of understanding the world be transformed into standardized data sets? Moreover, this approach inherently creates a chasm between those who have access to enhancement and those who do not.
Based on the doctrine of humanity, any technology should serve the human being, not replace their essence.
A project like the one under discussion requires an unprecedented ethical framework:
– Prioritizing therapy over enhancement. The primary goal is to help people with brain disorders.
– Preserving autonomy. People must remain the full masters of their thoughts and decisions.
– Universal accessibility. If such technologies become a reality, they must not become a privilege.
– Protection of mental integrity. Legal norms protecting privacy are necessary.
– Comprehensive popularization of critical rationalism. The development of human intelligence and the minimization of cognitive biases are the key to a balance between AI and CI.
The most humane path likely lies not in opposition, but in a wise integration, where AI becomes a powerful tool for well-educated individuals.
– Imagine an education of the future where AI helps identify students’ unique abilities and create personalized development programs, but does not replace the process of deep, and sometimes difficult, learning.
– Imagine medical interfaces that help restore damaged brain function, returning people to a full life and traditional education.
Intelligence is more than information!
The project Sam Altman speaks of is a mirror in which we see our greatest hopes and fears. The desire to expand the boundaries of knowledge is admirable. However, it’s important to remember that human intelligence is not just a processor, but a complex phenomenon born from the interweaving of neurons, emotions, social connections, and personal experience.
True development of human intelligence begins not with a chip, but with a proper education that teaches us to think, empathize, create, and ask questions. Technology should be an accomplice to this great goal, not a substitute for it.
Michael Mozzhechkov
Vladimir Golstein
