Report on human augmentation from the UK Ministry of Defence (May 2021)
Our potential adversaries will not be governed by the same ethical and legal considerations that we are, and they are already developing human augmentation capabilities. Our key challenge will be establishing advantage in this field without compromising the values and freedoms that underpin our way of life.
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We cannot wait for the ethics of human augmentation to be decided for us, we must be part of the conversation now. The ethical implications are significant but not insurmountable; early and regular engagement will be essential to remain at the forefront of this field. Ethical perspectives on human augmentation will change and this could happen quickly. There may be a moral obligation to augment people, particularly in cases where it promotes well-being or protects us from novel threats.
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The need to use human augmentation may ultimately be dictated by national interest. Countries may need to develop and use human augmentation or risk surrendering influence, prosperity and security to those who will. National regulations dictating the pace and scope of scientific research reflect societal views, particularly in democracies that are more sensitive to public opinion. The future of human augmentation should not, however, be decided by ethicists or public opinion, although both will be important voices; rather, governments will need to develop a clear policy position that maximises the use of human augmentation in support of prosperity, safety and security, without undermining our values.
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Governance in Western liberal societies and international institutions is already unable to keep pace with technological change and adoption of human augmentation will exacerbate this trend. National and international governance will be challenged by the myriad of implications of adopting human augmentation technologies.
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Cultural and ethical considerations will inform the extent to which opportunities are seized, but human augmentation threats will be forced upon us irrespective of our own normative standpoint. We must understand and address such threats or otherwise risk creating a strategic vulnerability.
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Human augmentation will play a key role in reducing the risk of cognitive overload as warfare becomes faster, more complex and more congested. Bioinformatics are likely to play a key role in identifying commanders and staff with the right cognitive and adaptive potential for command and control roles. Brain interfaces linked to machine learning algorithms have the potential to rapidly accelerate the speed and quality of decision-making.
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The notion of moral enhancement may require using human augmentation in the future. Our moral psychologies evolved when our actions only affected our immediate environment, but recent advances in technology mean that actions can have almost immediate global consequences. Our moral tendencies to look after our kin and immediate future may no longer be fit for the modern, interconnected world.
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Ethics will be a critical aspect when considering whether to adopt human augmentation, but national interest will also inform, and may even fundamentally reshape, the moral calculation. There is likely to be a fine balance between upholding the ethics that underpin our way of life and avoiding ceding an unassailable national advantage to our adversaries.
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According to the transhumanistic thinking model, the human is an incomplete creature that can be shaped in the desired direction by making responsible use of science, technology and other rational means.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/human-augmentation-the-dawn-of-a-new-paradigm
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