Brain-computer interfaces may present threats to cognitive liberty. But with or without them, we often overestimate how independent our own minds are, an ethicist writes.
Could the technology move beyond medical applications and into wide use?
Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to transform some people’s lives, but they raise a host of ethical issues, too.
Andriy Onufriyenko/Moment via Getty Images
Brain-computer interface devices have the potential to boost users’ autonomy, especially for people who experience paralysis. But that comes with risks, as well.
An expert explain the various concerns that were holding up FDA approval – from potential harmful side effects, to protecting the privacy of users’ brain-wave data.
When designing neuroprosthetic devices for users to control with their thoughts, engineers must take into account the sensory information brains collect from the environment and how it gets processed.
BMIs like the ones Neuralink is working on are already used in laboratories around the world as assistive technologies. But melding your mind with an AI is probably not happening anytime soon.
Let’s work together.
Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock.com
People – individually and in groups – were not as good at facial recognition as an algorithm. But five people plus the algorithm, working together, were even better.
BCI devices that read minds and act on intentions can change lives for the better. But they could also be put to nefarious use in the not-too-distant future. Now’s the time to think about risks.
A noninvasive brain-computer interface based on EEG recordings from the scalp.
Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE), Photo by Mark Stone
Brain-computer interfacing is a hot topic in the tech world, with Elon Musk’s announcement of his new Neuralink startup. Here, researchers separate what’s science from what’s currently still fiction.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at Oregon Health and Sciences University and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Washington