Conceptual Frameworks for Assessing Brain-Computer Interfaces

Executive Summary

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) represent an exciting frontier in neuroscience, as humans seek to address one of biology’s most complex challenges—understanding and repairing the human brain. In recent decades, advances in science and technology have deepened our understanding of brain function, leading to the development of devices that can interact with the brain and even replicate some of its capabilities. This convergence of neuroscience, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital innovation has already enabled remarkable breakthroughs—such as helping paralysed patients regain partial motor function. Looking ahead, BCIs could potentially be used in healthy individuals to enhance motor skills with advanced prosthetics or to improve cognitive abilities like memory retention.

However, as BCIs progress, they raise concerns about potential uses for human enhancement, thus creating profound ethical challenges for the society to confront. While concerns about data privacy, personal autonomy, and user control are critical, these can largely be addressed through regulatory and legal mechanisms. This paper focuses instead on two broader philosophical questions that BCIs present—those concerning the nature of human identity and human enhancement—and offers two ethical frameworks that policymakers can use to navigate these complex issues.

Authors