January 18, 2026 • 

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:

• Back in 2017, I asked: Where Next for Microchip Implants?
• In 2018, I predicted that chip implants could become the next big privacy debate.
• Fast forward to January 2022, when we covered Chip Implants: Opportunities, Concerns and What Could Be Next
• In February 2023, this blog addressed: From Progress to Bans: How Close Are Human Microchip Implants?
• In June 2023, we got more personal in this blog, Fingernail Chip Implants? West Virginia’s CISO Sees Value
• March 2024: Human Brain Chip Implants: Helpful? Safe? Ethical? — Major developments regarding implanting chips in human brains have been announced in 2024. Will this procedure become widespread? Are precautions — or even regulations — needed?

FINAL THOUGHTS

Societal opinions are still all over the map on this topic of implanting microchips in humans. There is widespread support of the use of implanting chips in humans for medical reasons and curing diseases, less support for just enhancing brain functioning to compete with (or enable hybrid) AI, and strong reservations (and even bans) being issued by state governments for the mandatory declarations from companies who could try to require implanting chips in staff.

One new area that caught my attention was a European report that discusses implanting chips for convenience in sending and receiving payments in a post-2030 world. You can read that report here.

Here is a brief excerpt: “For instance, more than half (51%) of survey respondents say they would consider using a microchip implanted in their hand to pay, provided it hit certain criteria. If we break that down: 8% said they would be comfortable using it if its privacy measures were water-tight, 23% if it was proven to be medically safe, and a fifth (20%) simply said that yes, they would be comfortable using this payment method. The vast majority (83%) think a microchip implant would make them ‘feel like they are in a sci-fi movie,Æ and nearly half (48%) feel the chip would be useful if they were caught without cash or card. However, invasiveness and security issues remain major concerns.”

This report is alarming to me for several reasons, and it raises many of the religious and other privacy issues I have highlighted in previous articles about implanting microchips in humans for convenience. (By way of quick summary, what often starts in society as optional or “opt-in” will later become “default with an opt-out” and eventually become mandatory for all.)

I leave you with this question to ponder: Are chip-enabled credit cards (where we simply tap to pay), leading to a world where we ditch the credit card and implant the chip?

I certainly hope not, for myriad reasons.

Daniel J. Lohrmann is an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, technologist, keynote speaker and author.