The year 2025 is dominated by AI and the rise of so-called “tech bros” — influential figures from the tech industry driving the global economy. Many of them are increasingly embracing transhumanism, particularly through ventures like Elon Musk’s Neuralink, which develops brain–computer interfaces.
Experts quoted by The Guardian caution that although neurotechnology has had a promising start to the year — with brain implants that can decode thoughts in paralyzed patients — the grandiose claims of tech investors risk distorting the public debate. As Prof. Marcello Ienca, a neuroethicist at the Technical University of Munich, put it: “This obsession with uploading the brain to a computer is warping the conversation.”
Researchers typically divide neurotechnology into three key categories:
- Medical devices – such as implants treating paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, or ALS;
- Consumer devices – including EEG headbands and brain-activity tracking wearables;
- Futuristic sci-fi projects – like brain-to-computer merging efforts pursued by companies such as Neuralink.
According to Dr. Michael Hendricks, a neurobiologist at McGill University, “Wealthy investors who are fascinated by these silly transhumanist ideas are diluting the real potential of neurotechnology in society.”
Scientists fear that this kind of hype from the tech elite could backfire in the long run — leading to overregulation, public distrust, and reduced funding for promising but less spectacular clinical research. Kristen Mathews, a lawyer specializing in brain privacy, warns: “This sci-fi hype could trigger regulations that slow down technologies that might actually help people.”
While investments and innovation in the neurotech sector remain strong — with major tech players pushing forward on brain–computer interfaces — both researchers and policymakers are urging a shift in focus toward practical medical applications: supporting neurological therapies and improving patient access within healthcare systems.
Their message is clear — fascination with futuristic “mind uploading” and other tech bro fantasies may be exciting, but it risks overshadowing the real, tangible progress that neurotechnology can deliver today.
