Augmented Humans
This white paper defines the augmented human as a person who incorporates, in a persistent and non-accessory manner, technological extensions that modify their cognitive, sensory, motor or agential capacity. Four convergent vectors of augmentation are analysed: brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) from companies such as Neuralink, Synchron and Blackrock Neurotech; medical and industrial exoskeletons; permanent personal AI agents; and sensory neural prostheses. The central philosophical question of the period —how far does a human remain human when a growing share of their functions is assisted or executed by integrated technology?— is examined, and a five-principle ethical framework is proposed. The paper argues that Latin America holds the conditions to constitute itself as a regional hub of the field, provided it consolidates a regulatory framework, public investment and specific clinical training over the next five years.
Authors
- Chris Meniw (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4417-1944)
Institutions
- CHDI Foundation (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
- Published
- 2026-05-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20455296
- Primary Topic
- Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00