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Cyborg… When a human is no longer just human

Dr. Ahmed Zuhair Arjoub

3 min read

A cyborg, in the scientific sense, does not necessarily mean a metallic human as depicted in cinema, but rather refers to a state of integration between human and technology, where the technique becomes part of restoring, supporting, or perhaps developing a bodily function in the future. Pacemakers, cochlear implants, and advanced prosthetics are all examples of this increasing overlap between body and machine. With the advancement of science, this integration is moving to a more sensitive level: the brain and the nervous system.

Today, brain-computer interfaces are evolving to capture certain neural signals and convert them into commands that control external devices. These technologies have allowed some patients to control computer cursors or assistive devices through neural activity. Here, the question changes radically: the question is no longer what can the machine do for the human?, but rather: to what extent can the machine become a part of him?

More excitingly, technology may not stop at the limits of treatment. If the goal today is to restore movement, hearing, or the ability to communicate to those who have lost it, what will happen when it becomes possible to use technology to enhance human capabilities? Could we reach technologies that increase memory, accelerate information processing, or connect the brain directly to artificial intelligence systems? At that point, the discussion will not be just technical, but ethical, legal, and human par excellence.

Who owns the data produced by the brain? Who protects the human from the hacking of a device connected directly to their nervous system? Will capacity-enhancement technologies be available to everyone, or will they become the exclusive domain of the financially capable? If that happens, we may not be talking about an economic gap in the future, but a biological and technical gap between humans.

Perhaps the most profound question relates to identity itself. If we replace an organ, then add a device, then connect the brain to smart technology, at what point do we say we have changed the human, rather than just treated them? Where do the limits of treatment end, and where does human enhancement begin? We are not standing before a story from science fiction films, but before the beginning of a transformation that may redefine our relationship with technology and with ourselves. The real challenge is not just in our ability to develop technology, but in our ability to set the boundaries that protect the human, their privacy, dignity, and identity.

The cyborg may not be the human of the distant future… perhaps its first features have already begun among us.

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