Two-thirds of respondents (66%) to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center said they would not want a computer chip implanted in their brains to give them “much-improved cognitive abilities” if such technology was readily available.

Approximately one-third of survey participants (32%) said they would want the enhancement, although 2% said they weren’t sure.

The center surveyed more than 4,000 people and conducted six focus groups across five regions of the country, with a total of 47 participants, to examine Americans’ attitudes about the potential of such emerging technology.

Whereas 34% of respondents said they were enthusiastic about a computer chip that could give a healthy person a much-improved ability to concentrate and process information, 69% said they were “very” or “somewhat” worried about the possibility.

Other findings:

  • 74% of survey participants said they believe that the option for computer chip implantation will be available before the effects are fully understood.
  • 73% said that inequality would increase if brain chips become available, because initially only the wealthy would be able to obtain them.
  • 55% said that people who have had this procedure would be more productive at their jobs.
  • 51% said that widespread use of such computer chips would lead to new and innovative problem-solving.

See more results on the center’s website.