An Introduction to Policy, Identity, and Neurotechnology: The Neuroethics of Brain–Computer Interfaces

Abstract

Brain–Computer Interface (BCI) technology is a promising and rapidly advancing research area. It was initially developed in the context of early government-sponsored futuristic research in biocybernetics and human–machine interaction in the United States (US) [1]. This inspired Jacques Vidal to suggest providing a direct link between the inductive mental processes used in solving problems and the symbol-manipulating, deductive capabilities of computers, and to coin the term “Brain-Computer Interface” in his seminal paper published in 1973 [2]. Recent developments in BCI technology, based on animal and human studies, allow for the restoration and potential augmentation of faculties of perception and physical movement, and even the transfer of information between brains. Brain activity can be interpreted through both invasive and noninvasive monitoring devices, allowing for novel, therapeutic solutions for individuals with disabilities and for other non-medical applications. However, a number of ethical and policy issues have been identified in context of the use of BCI technology, with the potential for near-future advancements in the technology to raise unique new ethical and policy questions that society has never grappled with before [3, 4]. Once again, the US is leading in the field with many commercial enterprises exploring different realistic and futuristic applications of BCI technology. For instance, a US company named Synchron recently received FDA approval to proceed with first-in-human trials of its endovascularly implanted BCI device [5].