1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

# Urgent: AI, VR, and Transhumanist Convergence Threatens Humanity I write with grave urgency regarding rapidly converging technological threats demanding immediate action. China's Manus AI—now operating without human oversight—exemplifies these accelerating risks, as does Meta's Q1 2025 neural lace prototype moving to human trials. ## Multi-Dimensional Threat Assessment **Neurological Autonomy**: Manus AI's architecture and Meta's neural interfaces create dual cognitive threats. VR drives addiction through dopaminergic pathways while autonomous AI systems condition society to accept algorithmic authority without question. OpenAI's leaked "compliance engineering" protocols confirm these technologies bypass critical thinking rather than enhance it. **Power Concentration**: Three major tech conglomerates now control quantum computing capabilities alongside the platforms mediating human experience. This unprecedented information asymmetry creates power exceeding traditional regulatory mechanisms and transcending national boundaries. **Social Deterioration**: EU's Digital Cohesion Index shows 38% community participation decline correlating with immersive technology adoption. AI-driven personalization creates divergent informational realities, destroying shared context essential for democratic function and human connection. **Economic Disruption**: Manus-class systems outperform humans in creative and analytical professions previously "automation-proof." This displacement occurs at speeds rendering retraining ineffective, threatening unprecedented economic dislocation as illustrated by the financial sector's 43% workforce reduction following GPT-5's deployment. **Existential Crisis**: These technologies replace essential human struggle that generates meaning and growth with algorithmic substitutes. The transhumanist vision of technologically enhanced existence fundamentally misunderstands how authentic challenge cultivates genuine human capability and purpose. ## Action Framework 1. Implement mandatory cognitive impact assessments for autonomous systems 2. Establish international AI governance with enforcement capabilities 3. Require algorithmic transparency in all immersive environments 4. Develop economic transition policies including universal creative income 5. Launch education initiatives emphasizing authentic human experience The convergence of these technologies creates exponentially multiplied risks. Our capabilities now advance faster than ethical frameworks, creating dangerous governance gaps. The latest neural imaging studies confirm technology-induced brain changes mimicking addictive disorders while AI systems increasingly operate beyond human comprehension. We must act decisively to ensure these tools enhance rather than supplant human potential. For our future, we must subordinate technological acceleration to human flourishing, choosing wisdom and authentic experience over algorithmic convenience and virtual escape.