Human Augmentation - What Do People Say?
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Human Augmentation - What Do People Say?
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Human Augmentation - What Do People Say?
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1.1Advanced AI1.2QuantumRevolution1.3UnconventionalComputing1.4AugmentedReality1.5CollectiveIntelligence2.1CognitiveEnhancement2.2HumanApplicationsof GeneticEngineering2.3HealthspanExtension2.4ConsciousnessAugmentation2.5Organoids2.6FutureTherapeutics3.1Decarbonisation3.2EarthSystemsModelling3.3FutureFoodSystems3.4SpaceResources3.5OceanStewardship3.6SolarRadiationModification3.7InfectiousDiseases4.1Science-basedDiplomacy4.2Advancesin ScienceDiplomacy4.3Foresight,Prediction,and FuturesLiteracy4.4Democracy-affirmingTechnologies5.1ComplexSystemsScience5.2Futureof Education5.3Future Economics,Trade andGlobalisation5.4The Scienceof theOrigins of Life5.5SyntheticBiology
1.1Advanced AI1.2QuantumRevolution1.3UnconventionalComputing1.4AugmentedReality1.5CollectiveIntelligence2.1CognitiveEnhancement2.2HumanApplicationsof GeneticEngineering2.3HealthspanExtension2.4ConsciousnessAugmentation2.5Organoids2.6FutureTherapeutics3.1Decarbonisation3.2EarthSystemsModelling3.3FutureFoodSystems3.4SpaceResources3.5OceanStewardship3.6SolarRadiationModification3.7InfectiousDiseases4.1Science-basedDiplomacy4.2Advancesin ScienceDiplomacy4.3Foresight,Prediction,and FuturesLiteracy4.4Democracy-affirmingTechnologies5.1ComplexSystemsScience5.2Futureof Education5.3Future Economics,Trade andGlobalisation5.4The Scienceof theOrigins of Life5.5SyntheticBiology

Debate 2:

Human Augmentation

What Do People Say?

    Analysis of mainstream media articles, blog posts and scientific articles over a period of 12 months reveals that the overall sentiment towards Human Augmentation is largely positive, although this positive bias is less strong on social media.

    Key insights

    With an overwhelmingly positive sentiment of 87 per cent, Cognitive Enhancement is associated with its application in various fields such as education, professional development, and healthcare.

    Healthspan Extension, Future Therapeutics, and Precision Psychology exhibit relative positive sentiment percentages along with varying levels of neutral and negative sentiment. This reflects optimism about extending human lifespan and innovative, well-targeted treatment approaches.

    Sentiment about Consciousness Augmentation and Neuroaugmentation, both with positive sentiment percentages of 66 per cent, indicates growing interest in expanding cognitive abilities and enhancing brain function, while reservations and concerns about ethics, privacy, and potential risks associated with altering human consciousness are also raised.

    Stories about Human Genetic Engineering and Organoids both demonstrate positive sentiment percentages of 72 per cent and 72 per cent respectively, again highlighting the optimism surrounding genetic engineering's potential to address diseases and enhance human capabilities.

    With 71 per cent positive sentiment, stories about Psychedelics indicate a growing interest in the therapeutic potential for mental health treatments. The positive sentiment recognises their potential efficacy in addressing conditions like depression, PTSD, and addiction, but concerns about misuse, safety, and regulations exist.

    Positive sentiment is centered around:

    • Precision medicine is recognised to be shaping the future of personalised healthcare, resulting in improved patient outcomes and increased sustainability. A focus on innovation, through advancing technologies such as remote diagnostics, point-of-care testing, and AI, is considered potentially transformative for healthcare delivery and access. Biomedical engineering advancements are also expected to lead to breakthroughs in tissue and bone repair treatments, improving patient outcomes and healthcare. Media associated with the awarding of the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for discoveries on human evolution highlight how these insights may have the potential to lead to major advancements in bioengineering and human augmentation.

    Neutral/mixed sentiment is centered around:

    • While support for legalising psychedelic therapy is growing, balancing accessibility concerns with the potential for improving mental health treatment outcomes remains a topic of conversation. Safety concerns around brain-implant technology developed by companies such as Neuralink limits the enthusiasm for the technology’s future prospects.

    Negative sentiment is centered around:

    • Concerns and reservations about human enhancement technologies, particularly brain chip implants, brain-computer interfaces and gene editing for babies, are prevalent among people worldwide, with a majority viewing these as meddling with nature. Non-essential enhancements and the potential use of chip implants to "read people's minds" generate disapproval, highlighting global apprehensions about the ethical and social implications of such technologies.