The Risks Of Commercial Brain-Computer Interfaces

Researchers raise concerns about the possible social, moral, and legal repercussions of technology’s close relationship with the human brain.

However, it may sound like a cyborg future where people can communicate with and control other people’s external technological gadgets by using their minds. Yet, this possibility may be closer than we believe.

Brain-computer interface

In APL Bioengineering from AIP Publishing, researchers from Imperial College London analyze contemporary commercial brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies and discuss the main technological drawbacks and ethical issues of these devices.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Electroencephalography (EEG), a technique for noninvasively measuring the electrical activity of the brain, has the best chance of realizing BCI applications. Before becoming widely used, EEG-based BCIs, or eBCIs, will need to make a number of scientific advancements, but more crucially, they will cause a number of social, ethical, and legal issues.

A few things are definite, despite the fact that it is impossible to pinpoint exactly what a user feels when using an external device with an eBCI. One is that eBCIs can converse in both directions. This not only makes it possible for someone to operate electronics, which is particularly helpful for those with disabilities who need assistance maneuvering wheelchairs, but it may also alter how the brain works.

It has become increasingly clear that neurotechnologies have the power to significantly affect our own human interactions and sense of self, according to Rylie Green, one of the authors, who claims that for some of these patients, these gadgets have become such a fundamental component of themselves that they reject to have them removed at the conclusion of the clinical trial.

Roberto Portillo-Lara

In addition to these potentially negative psychological and physiological adverse reactions, intellectual property issues could allow private corporations who create eBCI technology to possess the neural data of users.

Since neural data is frequently thought of as highly sensitive and personal data that could be linked to any given user, Roberto Portillo-Lara, another author, said that this is especially concerning. This is mostly due to the fact that, in addition to its diagnostic value, EEG data can be utilized to infer emotional and cognitive states, giving researchers unmatched insight into the intents, preferences, and feelings of users.

Disparities in access to these technologies could exacerbate already-existing societal inequities as their availability expands beyond medical care. For instance, eBCIs can be utilized for cognitive improvement and result in severe imbalances in educational breakthroughs and professional or academic success.

This depressing scene

This depressing scene raises an intriguing dilemma regarding the function of legislators in the commercialization of BCI, according to Green. Should regulatory agencies step in to stop neurotechnology abuse and unequal access? Should society instead follow the example set by earlier innovations like the internet or smartphones, which were initially marketed to niche markets but are now widely used for commercial purposes?

She urges manufacturers, producers of these technologies, future users of these technologies, and international governments to start these dialogues early and work together to find solutions to these challenging moral concerns.

The capacity to combine the sophistication of the human intellect with the powers of contemporary technology represents an exceptional scientific achievement, according to Green, who also noted that it is starting to test our own ideas about what it means to be human.

Originally published by: scitechdaily.com

Reference: “Mind the gap: State-of-the-art technologies and applications for EEG-based brain-computer interfaces” by Roberto Portillo-Lara, Bogachan Tahirbegi, Christopher A.R. Chapman, Josef A. Goding and Rylie A. Green, 20 July 2021, APL Bioengineering.

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