“Human Augmentation” – UK Ministry of Defense (2021)

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Transhumanist ambitions are made possible by military technology. In the 1960’s, the first serious efforts to create a brain-computer interface were funded by the U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Two decades later, the Internet was developed to make communication lines redundant in case of nuclear war.

Human Augmentation: A New Paradigm, commissioned by the UK’s Ministry of Defense, follows various technological threads to their logical conclusions. A central goal is to merge minds with machines in an intimate human-AI symbiosis:

The ability to enhance one’s physical, psychological, or social capability has been a source of power throughout history, and warfare is the epitome of this dynamic. …

Human augmentation will become increasingly relevant, partly because it can directly enhance human capability and behavior, and partly because it is the binding agent between people and machines. Future wars will be won, not by those with the most advanced technology, but by those who can most effectively integrate the unique capabilities of both people and machines. …

Thinking of the person as a platform and understanding our people at an individual level is fundamental to successful human augmentation.

Beyond cyborg super soldiers, the principle of transcending human limitation through technology is also being applied to civilian populations. One critical concept is that standard tools and transformative technologies—from the abacus to smartphones to brain implants—exist on a spectrum.

In the curiously prescient image below, we see a man using an implanted BCI to type “Hello world” onscreen. Keep in mind, this document was published in May of 2021.

Eight months later, an actual paralyzed man used his Stentrode implant—developed by Synchron—to send the first tweet using only the brain. His message?

“hello, world!”

In a follow-up tweet, the patient said:

“my hope is that I’m paving the way for people to tweet through thoughts”

Imagine receiving neuroenhancement that could rid you of bigotry, or suspicion, or even your warped sense of humor. If “diversity is our strength,” then a polyglot, digitally enhanced superorganism will be unassailable:

Human augmentation could help improve social cohesion by increasing participation in society regardless of individual differences or impediments. Human augmentation could also allow people to connect in more intense and creative ways (for example, via linked brain-machine interfaces).

Human augmentation will also provide tools for people to express their individuality in more pronounced ways, potentially leading to a more diverse society.

Considering the rise of biosecurity states across the globe, an especially horrific aspect of Human Augmentation is the comparison of anti-cyborg sentiments to vaccine hesitancy:

The history of vaccinations demonstrates how proven, and seemingly uncontroversial human augmentation technologies can take many years to become globally effective and accepted by societies. … This example shows that we cannot assume human augmentation will be automatically effective or accepted in its intended use, no matter how beneficial its effects may be. … Human augmentation may be resisted by elements of society that do not trust the effectiveness and motive of augmentation.

Of course, no review of our cyborg future would be complete without indie biohacking. According to the implant company Dangerous Things, anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 people already have digital bio-implants in their bodies.

Perhaps inspired by biblical prophecy, many of these are RFID chips embedded in the hand:

Radio-frequency identification and near-field communication implants are popular biohacks. Once inserted, these ‘chips’ can be used for a great variety of identification purposes. They can replace many of our keys and passwords, allowing us to unlock doors, start vehicles, and even log onto computers and smart devices.

From chipped hands to chipped heads, the Cyborg Age has arrived. As with many innovations—virtual reality, neuro-implants, smartphone components—the technologies first developed in military labs are gradually diffusing into our day-to-day lives.

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From: “BEYOND THE GREAT RESET – 10 Official Documents On Human-Machine Hybrids”

READ PART 1 - HERE

READ PART 2 - HERE

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