Human enhancement: will the benefits outweigh the costs?

Colossal advances in human enhancement technologies could allow us to overcome the current limits of the human body, changing the future of work for ever. But will this be harmful or beneficial for society?

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction – it certainly reminds me of the 2011 film Limitless where actor Bradley Cooper discovers a drug that bestows him with super human abilities – but human enhancement is now very much a reality. Drugs, bionics and digital technologies are already in existence that will allow us to work harder than ever before, by increasing our physical capabilities, enhancing our concentration and making sleep an optional luxury rather than a necessity. With an ageing population, these technologies may well prove essential as we are expected to work further into old age.

However, experts are warning that while human enhancement could give rise to numerous benefits for employees and employers, these advances may come at significant cost to society. Four professional bodies: The Academy of Medical Sciences, The British Academy, The Royal Academy of Engineering and The Royal Society have released a recent report called Human Enhancement and the Future of Work. It concludes that human enhancement raises many serious ethical, social and political issues. While to date, human enhancement has focused mainly on restoration, it is not improbable that this technology will soon extend to the healthy individual.

Much of the report focused on a prominent example of human enhancement that is very much in existence and used by healthy people: so-called ‘smart drugs’. One example of these pills, atypical stimulant modafinil is used by students throughout the country to allow them to power through all-nighters, replacing the traditional cocktail of copious coffees and excessive energy drinks.  modafinil, ordinarily a prescription drug for treatment of narcolepsy, can be bought effortlessly online. Not long out of university myself, I have peers that claim they would not have been able to complete their finals without this ‘miracle’ drug which improves memory, concentration and productivity and diminishes the need for sleep – all with limited side effects (or so they say).

A recent study published in Neuropharmacology  suggested that modafinil could significantly enhance cognitive task performance. But if a drug can have such a substantial impact on one’s performance, should students who take it for exams be outed as cheats in a similar fashion to some former sporting heroes? Additionally, with limited research into the drug’s long-term effects, students could be inadvertently causing themselves much harm while they aim to increase the chances of achieving a top grade.

One of the concerns touched on in the report is that while cognitive-enhancing drugs might harness benefits, they could also be open to abuse by companies in the future. Tiredness-avoiding drugs could soon be used by pilots, drivers and surgeons to avoid the sleep that is seemingly detrimental to their productivity. Making these pharmaceuticals available to all healthy humans could potentially lead to employers requiring workers in these fields to use these drugs, resulting in employees feeling coerced.

Physical technologies for human enhancement were also carefully considered in the report. Over 10 million people in the UK are registered as disabled with 6 million of these possessing significant mobility problems. Employment rates for this group of people are therefore well below the national average. Enhancement technologies such as bionic limbs (seen prevalently in the Paralympics this year) and exoskeletons that could restore physical capabilities would obviously have a significant economic impact for the UK, not to mention the increase in wellbeing for the patient. Likewise, with an ageing population, technologies are already underway to combat time’s deterioration of human ability with advanced hearing aids to reverse hearing loss and retinal implants to improve vision in development.

Science and technology is expanding at a rapid pace, and the future looks bright for increasing human mental and physical capabilities, particularly for vulnerable groups. Human enhancement technologies could one day blur the boundaries between abled bodied and disabled and old and young citizens, reducing prejudice, increasing quality of life and opening up opportunities for those once unable to work. However, this technology will undoubtedly come at a price and someone will have to foot the bill. If only those who can afford it opt for human enhancement, the appalling wage gap in our society will become ever greater and social mobility will decrease. If the wealthy can increase their intelligence and become more physically able, they will likely increase their earning power. In this case, the rich can only become richer.

It seems to me that if any conclusion can be drawn from the report, it is that we need to be sensible about human enhancement if it is to have value in society’s future. Scientists should collaborate with policy-makers, philosophers and the public to engage in a dialogue about the ethical consequences of enhancement technologies in order to reach the maximum benefit with minimal damage.