If we’re not careful, a dystopia like the one depicted in Cyberpunk 2077 could become reality

I was just listening some German Podcast, where they once again discussed AI and the massive impact it’s likely to have on our society. While I share many of their concerns, I think there’s one aspect that’s largely missing from both the podcast and the broader public debate: the rapid progress being made in robotics and Neuralinks alongside AI.

For those unfamiliar with the term, cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction where extremely advanced technology, AI, cybernetic implants, megacorporations, exists alongside a dystopian, dysfunctional society. Governments have become largely powerless because they’re dependent on giant corporations that control monopolies over AI, surveillance, military technology, and critical infrastructure. (Musk, Thiel, Bezos, and Zuckerberg come to mind.)

In that kind of world, the average person is almost worthless unless they constantly enhance themselves with implants and manage to secure a job within one of those megacorporations.

At first glance, this probably sounds far fetched. But when you look at how quickly technology is advancing and at the political turmoil we’re already seeing particularly in the United States it doesn’t seem nearly as unrealistic as it once did.

Think about it: if someone had told you just ten years ago that, in the near future, millions of people would use AI every day at work to improve productivity or even discuss their personal problems, would you have believed them? I certainly wouldn’t have. And we’re still only at the beginning of this technological revolution.

The exact same process is happening in robotics. Chinese and American companies such as Tesla Optimus and Unitree are aggressively developing humanoid robots powered by AI that can move and interact much like humans. Right now, the stated goal is to address demographic challenges. Industries facing severe labor shortages such as healthcare and warehouse logistics could use autonomous humanoid robots to assist human workers.

On the surface, that sounds like a good thing. Imagine a nurse working a night shift, responsible for twelve patients, constantly overwhelmed. If an autonomous humanoid robot could take over half of that workload, the nurse’s quality of life would improve dramatically.

But here’s the question:
Where do you draw the line?

If one AI powered humanoid can already perform half the work, why wouldn’t employers eventually replace the remaining nurse as well? AI and robots don’t need breaks, salaries, vacations, or overtime pay, and they don’t complain about working conditions. Sounds unrealistic?

People like Elon Musk the richest man in the world, with close ties to the U.S. government have publicly talked about moving in exactly that direction. For someone like Musk, warehouse facilities operated primarily by robots and AI represent enormous progress.

The obvious question then becomes:
What happens to the millions of people who lose their jobs in software development, administration, healthcare, logistics ?

Not everyone will become obsolete, of course. There will always be demand for highly skilled specialists. But what happens to everyone else?
Musk’s long-term answer has often been framed around transhumanism: the idea that, if humans want to keep up with increasingly capable AI, they may eventually need to augment themselves technologically.

We’re already seeing the first steps toward that future through companies like Neuralink, which is developing implantable brain-computer interfaces. Today, the focus is medical, helping people with paralysis or neurological disorders. But the long-term vision discussed by Musk goes much further: enhancing human cognitive abilities, creating high-bandwidth links between the brain and computers, and potentially allowing direct interaction with AI systems. If technologies like that eventually converge with advanced AI, autonomous robotics, and large scale data platforms such as Palantir, the societal implications could be enormous.

I know this sounds completely crazy, which is why I’ll include several sources below so everyone can verify the information for themselves.

Long story short:
The tech industry, scientists, and corporations will present these technologies with very compelling promises. Better working conditions, revolutionary medical breakthroughs, longer and healthier lives, and greater productivity. Many of those promises may well be real.

My concern is about the long term trajectory.
If governments and democratic societies fail to establish clear rules and limits, we may gradually create a world in which ordinary human labor becomes increasingly irrelevant and technological enhancement becomes less of a choice and more of an economic necessity. One day, we might wake up in a world that looks a lot like Night City except without a charismatic Keanu Reeves blowing up Arasaka Tower.