I often jokingly hear friends say that to get (or keep) a job today you need superpowers (the most sexist and boorish ones in the case of pretty colleagues argue the need for other skills). The future is made up of many things, and an important theme is precisely that of human enhancement, the improvement of physical and mental performance that can arise from the use of new technologies or medical procedures: in this article I want to offer you some ideas to reflect on.
Having said that, here are the possible contributions of human enhancement in the world of work:
Cognitive advancement
There are many ways of increasing cognitive abilities in humans. Education, culture and exercise are obviously not considered on this list. Over the next decade, an increasingly elderly population will consider new means of advance very carefully. The most innovative approaches are:
Substances initially used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders (Ritalin and in general Methylphenidate [endnote https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metilfenidato]. Atomoxetine [endnote https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomoxetina], a selective inhibitor of the pre-synaptic transport mechanism of noradrenaline. Modafinil [endnote https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modafinil], atypical stimulant) can also improve memory and concentration in healthy individuals, helping them work more efficiently and for longer. The near future could lead to 'customs cleared' formulations free of unwanted effects of drugs that improve the 'response' at work. In the same way, the ability to concentrate and maintain performance can also be improved.
Advanced learning softwares can improve the way in which our brain responds to stimuli and absorbs information, especially for specific tasks: new computational models 'trained' to better accommodate the rhythms of our learning and our selective attention could radically change corporate training methods and make the knowledge necessary for our work easier to acquire and remember.
Brain stimulation, especially that performed with non-invasive techniques[endnote Transcranial magnetic stimulation: https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stimolazione_magnetica_transcranica], will be able to improve the times and ways of learning: transcranial stimulation methods currently include magnetic or electrical impulses sent to a subject through a helmet to modulate the neuronal excitability of some parts of our brain, to increase performance.
Internet and collective knowledge they will be used (with the increasingly widespread diffusion of mobile devices) to improve the approach to work and the exchange of knowledge, especially in relation to complex problems: the Wiki and social media model could merge to create a mixed knowledge system between 'stable' information and information capable of updating virtually in real time.
Physical advancement
To date, physical advancement has been developed essentially in relation to function recovery: in the next decade many new applications will extend the field.
With the growth of the average age in the workforce, more and more people will be looking for systems capable of maintaining perceptive abilities for a long time and reversing the decline of functions. New generation hearing systems will improve the ability to listen and communicate (first in military scenarios, then in civilian ones). New techniques for repairing and improving vision will also become widespread: retinal implants, gene transfers and transplantation of the eye's photoreceptors are currently being developed.
We all know the technology behind the exoskeletons, motor systems capable of restoring and improving the functionality of the legs and individual mobility: the large-scale application of these systems will certainly also involve manual work. The new generations will be more automated, wearable and flexible, and will allow people to easily and effectively overcome the limits of human motility.
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine they are offering important new possibilities to replace damaged parts of our body, and will help workers maintain operations even following accidents. Bone and joint applications and implants currently undergoing clinical trials will become increasingly widespread and will include parts of the body (such as the trachea) that are currently still excluded. In a few years we will arrive at the production of entire organs [endnote On closer inspection this is already happening: https://www.futuroprossimo.it/realizzato-dal-nulla-organo-sintetico-con-cellule-staminali/899/], but we will have to wait a little longer to evaluate its actual compatibility with our body. Another major milestone in the next decade could result from the combination of stem cells and heart implants.
Proper nutrition it will always be at the basis of an individual's well-being and health: many foods will be able to focus on providing benefits to specific aspects of performances (such as endurance, recovery times, speed). Future applications can be developed when the neuronal mechanisms underlying fatigue are known.
And after the Plus, let's also put the Minus
The potential implications of all these human advancements cannot naturally be free of risks or possible empty jokes, and there will certainly be difficulties in disseminating them: here are some reflections that I have pinned (if you think of others, just comment on some of them ):
– Advancements can benefit the efficiency of employees and also the balance of hours worked, but they could also lead to greater exploitation of workers, and unbridled competitiveness which certainly may not benefit the well-being of workers.
– The work necessary to consider the potential risks of new technologies requires decisions based on data we do not yet fully understand.
• The usefulness of new technologies will vary greatly depending on the application context. Advancements will bring advantages to different professions and in different ways, and this will be problematic in the long term: true human advancement will be possible when a single technology, a single apparatus can adapt individually to each individual, producing improvements and different responses on the individual.
• Many difficulties will be raised regarding the adoption of human advancements in professions that include responsibility towards third parties: it will be very difficult to see surgeons or vehicle passengers adopt technological or pharmacological solutions to improve performance. It will take a lot of time and different political, ethical and philosophical responses.
• If the advancements reach the mass of the workforce there is the risk that many employees will be forced by contract to adopt them to achieve quality or production standards: this could lead to major consequences and ethical risks on individual freedom.
Disability: a concrete hope.
A final corollary that I am reflecting on (and it derives from the last reasoning listed among the 'Minus') and which makes me smile with happiness in imagining the future is a possible consequence of human enhancement which concerns the share of work managed by people with disabilities: the number of disabled people able to carry out work with the same methods and timing as the average will increase significantly. According to ISTAT, there are more than 3 million disabled people in Italy: of these, over one million have significant problems with mobility, motor coordination and resistance to weight. 50% of them are of working age. Improvements in technology will allow us to have them all as work colleagues, hoping that the future will allow us to have a job :)