Brain-computer interfaces have the potential to transform some people’s lives, but they raise a host of ethical issues, too.
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Brain-computer interface devices have the potential to boost users’ autonomy, especially for people who experience paralysis. But that comes with risks, as well.
A woman tries out neurotechnology equipment during Tech Week in Bucharest, Romania, in May 2023.
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More invasive devices have prompted new debates about privacy and freedom. But it’s important to keep in mind that other technologies already sense and shape our thoughts, a neuroethicist argues.
Several companies are in the process of commercialising invasive brain-computer interfaces, including Synchron, Neuralink and Precision Neuroscience.
Brain-computer interfaces raise many ethical questions about how and whether they should be used for certain applications.
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From warfare to entertainment and VR, brain-computer interface development has extended beyond prosthetics for patients with disabilities. Missing is full ethical consideration of the consequences.
How do jurors use different kinds of information about mental illness when making sentencing decisions? An experiment finds that neurobiological evidence could harm or help defendants.
Probes that can transmit electricity inside the skull raise questions about personal autonomy and responsibility.
Hellerhoff
Where does responsibility lie if a person acts under the influence of their brain implant? As neurotechnologies advance, a neuroethicist and a legal expert write that now’s the time to hash it out.
Inspiration can come when we least expect it.
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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 discipline neither good nor evil.
Saturday Evening Post/Harris A. Ewing
Maybe you think neuroscience has a peaceable history of benign efforts to improve lives and enhance human capacities. But its origins and development tell a different story – with ethical implications.
Now’s the time to think about what we’re getting into with neurotechnologies.
Brain image via www.shutterstock.com.
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Neurology at Oregon Health and Sciences University and Affiliate Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Washington