February 25, 2002: World's First Cyborg - Kevin Warwick

Art Bell welcomes Professor Kevin Warwick, a cybernetics researcher at the University of Reading, who in 1998 surgically implanted a silicon chip transponder into his arm to interact with building computers. Warwick discusses his upcoming experiment to directly link his nervous system to a computer through a new implant, enabling remote control of finger movement and sensory feedback from ultrasonic signals.

The conversation explores profound possibilities including brain-to-brain communication, electronic medicine to replace chemical treatments, and the potential for humans to gain entirely new senses like infrared or X-ray perception. Warwick reveals plans to connect his implant to the internet for long-distance neural communication and discloses that his wife has agreed to receive her own implant for nervous-system-to-nervous-system experiments between them.

Art and Warwick examine the ethical dimensions of human enhancement, from memory augmentation creating new social divides to the risks of electronic addiction comparable to drugs. They also discuss artificial intelligence, the likelihood of machine consciousness surpassing human intelligence, and the military implications of autonomous decision-making systems.