The Coming “Brain Chip”

Elon Musk’s Neuralink company just received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to study the effects of this new technology in human subjects (BBC, May 26, 2023). The tech firm intends to implant microchips in the brain to address certain health conditions such as paralysis and blindness and to enable access to computers by the disabled. Some instances of this technology are already working. Recently, “a 40-year-old Dutch man who was paralysed in a cycling accident 12 years ago” received implants which helped him regain the ability to walk (The Guardian, June 7, 2023)!

However, there are concerns about where this technology is headed. A director of the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK recently noted, “Neurotechnology collects intimate personal information that people are often not aware of, including emotions and complex behavior. The consequences could be dire if these technologies are developed or deployed inappropriately.” Yet, through Neuralink, Elon Musk is hoping that his company’s implants will become a “general population device” with the potential to serve as “a backup drive for your non-physical being, your digital soul”!

Humans have long desired to play God—not unlike Satan the Devil, who tried to usurp God’s throne (Isaiah 14:12–15). While this neurotechnology may allow mankind to cure previously incurable diseases, human beings need to be careful about assuming god-like prerogatives—because there is a real God. The Scriptures record that God intervened powerfully at the tower of Babel to stop the direction that godless society was going and limit humanity’s capabilities (Genesis 11:1–6). Few today in our increasingly secular world sufficiently recognize the dangers of allowing our technological growth to outpace our moral capacity to wield new technologies in an ethical way. To learn more about the foundation of morality we have rejected, read our free resource, The Ten Commandments.