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Will 2026 See a ‘ChatGPT Moment’ for Microchip Implants?
As Hollywood imagines our future, are brain and human microchip implants nearing a “ChatGPT moment” in 2026? Medical progress collides with privacy fears and state bans.
Will 2026 See a ‘ChatGPT Moment’ for Microchip Implants?
As Hollywood imagines our future, are brain and human microchip implants nearing a “ChatGPT moment” in 2026? Medical progress collides with privacy fears and state bans.
January 18, 2026 •
[digital illustration of a closeup on a microchip on a motherboard]
My wife and I have been enjoying the new Peacock TV series “The Copenhagen Test” over the past few weeks. IMDb describes the show this way: “A first-generation analyst realizes his brain's hacked, allowing access to his senses. Stuck between the agency and hackers, he acts normal to reveal the culprits.”
While we haven’t learned (yet) when (or even if) a chip was placed in the analyst’s head, the first episode reveals that wireless signals are coming out of his brain and that someone can see and hear everything that he does.
SCIENCE FICTION OR REAL LIFE IN 2026?
I find that Hollywood fiction, though over-sensationalized, often brings to life what is coming next regarding how technology will impact life. Put simply, people often understand these movies and TV shows better than what is actually happening in the real world. From WarGames in the early ’80s to Mr. Robot in 2015 to The Copenhagen Test today, the people and process implications of new technology can become more real for viewers in these dramas.
Meanwhile, headlines continue to progress regarding implanting chips in humans for various reasons. Consider these stories already published in 2026:
The Debrief: Neuralink Set to Launch ‘High-Volume’ Brain Implant Production as Competitors Weigh In — “Elon Musk’s company Neuralink has announced plans to expand its brain-computer interface (BCI) chip, The Link, to ‘high-volume’ production this year.
“‘Neuralink will start high-volume production of brain-computer interface devices and move to a streamlined, almost entirely automated surgical procedure in 2026’ Musk wrote in a December 31, 2025, posting on X. ‘Device threads will go through the dura without the need to remove it. …’
“‘At this stage, we interpret ‘high-volume’ realistically as hundreds moving toward low thousands of implants per year,’ Carolina Aguilar, CEO and co-founder of INBRAIN Neuroelectronics, one of Neuralink’s competitors, told The Debrief, although Aguilar added that the company expects that number to eventually reach ‘tens of thousands’ on account of a range of factors.”
Detroit News: Altman’s Merge raises $252 million to link brains and computers — “Merge Labs, a company co-founded by AI billionaire Sam Altman that is building devices to connect human brains to computers, raised $252 million.
“The company is being formed as entrepreneurs and investors across Silicon Valley anticipate a future where artificial intelligence is so advanced that humans will be willing — and perhaps compelled — to augment their brains to take advantage of it. Just as smartphones provide access to the digital world, experimental brain technology is being designed to streamline the experience.
“Merge’s goal is to seamlessly connect people and artificial intelligence to ‘maximize human ability, agency and experience,’ according to a post on its website Thursday. It did not disclose the valuation of the company. It plans to first develop products for medical use, then later for the general public.”
And this story from FOX News back in April 2025: Paralyzed man with ALS is third to receive NeuraLink implant, can type with brain — “Brad Smith, an Arizona husband and father with ALS, has become the third person to receive Neuralink, the brain implant made by Elon Musk’s company.
“He is also the first ALS patient and the first non-verbal person to receive the implant, he shared in a post on X on Sunday.
“‘I am typing this with my brain. It is my primary communication,’ Smith, who was diagnosed in 2020, wrote in the post, which was also shared by Musk. He went on to thank Musk.”
Finally, this article on microchip implants from Krungsri explains many more details (with great global references at the end) on all of the advances in different technologies related to implanting chips in humans for medical and brain enhancement reasons.
MORE STATES SEEK TO PROTECT AGAINST CHIP IMPLANTS
Earlier this month, GeekWire released an article describing Washington state's efforts to ban employers from using “dehumanizing” tech: “A bill introduced in the Washington state Legislature would ban employers from requiring or pressuring workers to be microchipped, a practice lawmakers want to prohibit before it ever becomes an issue.
“House Bill 2303 was prefiled this week by Reps. Brianna Thomas (D-34) and Lisa Parshley (D-22).
“The bill would prohibit employers from requiring, requesting or coercing employees to have microchips implanted in their bodies as a condition of employment, and would bar the use of subcutaneous tracking or identification technology for workplace management or surveillance.”
As reported last year in this blog, this action expands efforts by at least 13 other states to ban mandatory microchip implants.
In addition to that January 2025 post, I have reported on the advancement of implanting chips in humans for various reasons going back to 2017. Here are those blogs that dive deeper into various aspects of this topic:
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