In a TikTok video with over 110,000 likes, a woman unlocks her house with a microchip in the back of her hand. Chipgirlhere, as she’s known on TikTok, says she lives in a smart house equipped with radio-frequency identification sensors. Instead of using a key card to unlock drawers or doors, she uses an implant under her skin. It looks pretty convenient.

A darker tale emerges from a company called Neuralink, owned by Elon Musk. While Musk roiled the internet with wild changes of direction and bewildering new rules of engagement at Twitter, Neuralink has been under investigation for allegations of animal abuse and suffering resulting from Musk’s orders to rush animal testing. The company is trying to invent implanted brain devices that will cure neurological impairments like enabling paralyzed people to walk again.

These may seem like something out of a sci-fi novel, but the underlying technology for both is not far-fetched. 

Implantable technology has evolved from life-sustaining things like pacemakers to what Dr. Katina Michael calls life-enhancing tech.