Are we still fully “natural” humans, or have we already become hybrids? In a world where smartphones never leave our pockets, where cochlear implants and neurotechnologies are restoring lost functions, and where artificial intelligence increasingly shapes our actions, the question is no longer hypothetical: Are we already cyborgs?

In this thought-provoking essay from the Five Minutes publishing house, part of the Connected Worlds collection, author Léwis Verdun investigates the growing entanglement of human biology and technology. Drawing on the latest research from 2024–2025, he unpacks how our physical and mental capacities are now being extended—sometimes subtly, sometimes radically—by machines.

The Cyborg Is Already Among Us

Far from science fiction, the “cyborg” has become a reality—albeit in less flashy form than Hollywood might suggest. The author highlights the tools already integrated into our daily lives:

  • Cochlear implants restoring hearing in patients with profound deafness

  • Neural prostheses interacting with the brain or spinal cord

  • Robotic exoskeletons helping stroke patients walk again

  • CRISPR gene therapies correcting inherited conditions

  • Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that allow paralyzed patients to move a cursor or arm by thought

These innovations represent a fundamental shift: our bodies are becoming programmable, with biology and electronics operating hand in hand.

Smartphones and Wearables: Our First Implants?

You don’t need a brain implant to be considered a cyborg. Verdun argues that we are already “technologically extended” through more familiar tools:

  • Smartphones serve as external memory and decision assistants

  • Smartwatches track our biometrics, nudging us toward behavior change

  • AI-powered apps shape our attention, emotions, and even relationships

  • Notifications and algorithms influence how we sleep, eat, and interact

These technologies form a digital layer around us, constantly feeding information into our daily decisions. For many, the line between self and system is blurring.

Real-Life Transformations

The book is not just a conceptual exploration—it brings the subject to life with real stories:

  • A quadriplegic woman who types on a screen using only her thoughts

  • An amputee who can feel textures again through cortical stimulation

  • A teenager cured of a rare disease thanks to CRISPR-based genome editing

These cases are awe-inspiring, but they also raise deep ethical questions: Who gets access to these technologies? Are we ready to rethink identity, disability, and enhancement?

Ethics, Consent, and Neuro-Rights

Léwis Verdun dedicates a full section to the ethical frontiers of human augmentation. Among the major issues raised:

  • Informed consent: How do we ensure patients understand the risks of neural implants or genetic modifications?

  • Data privacy: Should neural data—thought patterns, emotional responses—be considered sensitive personal information?

  • Inequality of access: Will these technologies widen the gap between rich and poor, able-bodied and disabled?

  • Autonomy: When an algorithm tweaks our mood or nudges our behavior, are we still in control?

Some governments, like California, are already proposing “neurorights” legislation to protect cognitive liberty, mental privacy, and the right to mental integrity in the face of neurotechnology.

Are You Already Augmented?

Rather than fear or celebrate the “cyborg age,” the author encourages readers to adopt a clear-eyed understanding of how human life is evolving.

He offers reflective questions:

  • How many of your decisions are shaped or mediated by technology?

  • Where do your natural capabilities end and technological ones begin?

  • What boundaries are worth defending?

Verdun also suggests practical steps: building digital literacy, demanding ethical design, and ensuring inclusive access to augmentation tools. In his view, becoming a cyborg is not the end of humanity—it is a call to responsibility.

Are We Already Cyborgs? is an essential and timely read for anyone interested in the future of human potential, medicine, ethics, and technology. Neither alarmist nor utopian, it offers a grounded roadmap for navigating this hybrid era.

Read Are We Already Cyborgs? now on the Five Minutes website