Intel: Smartphones will plug into your brain

By John D. Sutter, CNN

(CNN) - This almost doesn't require comment. Check out David Goldman's CNNMoney story about a new white paper commissioned by Intel, in which researchers say it is inevitable - inevitable! - that smarpthones will plug into brains.

Here's Goldman's explanation of what could happen:

... Step one: a lag-free operating system that anyone can use intuitively to perform any computing task.

Step two: Interfacing with the body. These kinds of interfaces are already operating in a relatively rudimentary way, with implants and pacemakers. But in its paper, Intel suggests that the link-up will be much more robust.

How robust? Well, have you seen "The Matrix?"

"With thoughts able to be delivered seamlessly to the cloud and data projected in real time onto our vision ... our bodies and minds will become the devices with all of the associated benefits," the paper's authors write.

You'll literally be "plugged-in" to the cloud, so your brain will have access to all the information on the Internet. You'll never again forget a name or miss a meeting. You won't have to get a routine check-up from a doctor, either, since your gadgets will monitor your vital signs and test your blood for you.

Of course, for every wonderful benefit, there's an equally scary potential consequence.

Think about all the privacy issues we have today with sites like Facebook. Now imagine giving people the capability to record everything they see and hear and immediately post it to the Internet. The human race could turn into something like Star Trek's Borg, who can access the entire network and literally knew everyone's thoughts.

Plus, how would exam-taking work? If people begin to rely on their connectedness like a crutch, can it just be turned off or wiped out for security purposes?

The story does include a happy note, at least for people who are terrified of this transition: "Don't expect to plug your iPhone directly into your cranium in the next few years. There's a few remaining steps on the path toward turning us all into cyborgs."