Ethical Issues Of Neurotechnology

New technologies that allow us to investigate mechanisms and functions of the brain have shown considerable promise in treating brain disease and injury. These emerging technologies also provide a means to assess and manipulate human consciousness, cognitions, emotions, and behaviors, bringing with them the potential to transform society. Neurotechnology: Premises, Potential, and Problems explores the technical, moral, legal, and sociopolitical issues that arise in and from today’s applications of neuroscience and technology and discusses their implications for the future. Some of the issues raised in this thought-provoking volume include: Neurotechnology in education: an enablement, a treatment, or an enhancement? The potential and limitations of neuroimaging technology in determining patient prognoses Tissue implantation technology as a way of engendering personalized medicine Neuroprostheses: restoration of functions of the disabled vs. enhancement to transhuman capabilities Deep brain stimulation and its use in restoring, preserving, or changing patients’ personal identity The benefit and risk of cognitive performance tools Cyborg technology and its potential to change our vision of humanity Methodologies for reducing the risk of neurotechnology’s impact on ethical, legal, and social issues With contributions from an international group of experts working on the cutting edge of neurotechnology, this volume lays the groundwork to appreciate the ethical, legal, and social aspects of the science in ways that keep pace with this rapidly progressing field.

Neurotechnologies such as brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), which allow technical devices to be used with the power of thought or concentration alone, are no longer a futuristic dream or, depending on the viewpoint, a nightmare. Moreover, the combination of neurotechnologies and AI raises a host of pressing problems. Now that these technologies are about to leave the laboratory and enter the real world, these problems and implications can and should be scrutinized. This volume brings together scholars from a wide range of academic disciplines such as philosophy, law, the social sciences and neurosciences, and is unique in terms of both its focus and its methods. The latter vary considerably, and range from philosophical analysis and phenomenologically inspired descriptions to legal analysis and socio-empirical research. This diversified approach allows the book to explore the entire spectrum of philosophical, normative, legal and empirical dimensions of intelligent neurotechnologies. Philosophical and legal analyses of normative problems are complemented by a thorough empirical assessment of how BCIs and other forms of neurotechnology are being implemented, and what their measurable implications are. To take a closer look at specific neurotechnologies, a number of applications are addressed. Case studies, previously unidentified issues, and normative insights on these cases complement the rich portrait this volume provides. Clinicians, philosophers, lawyers, social scientists and engineers will greatly benefit from the collection of articles compiled in this book, which will likely become a standard reference work on the philosophy of intelligent neurotechnologies.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of philosophical, social, ethical, and legal challenges arising as a consequences of current advances in neurosciences and neurotechnology. It starts by offering an overview of fundamental concepts such as mental privacy, personal autonomy, mental integrity, and responsibility, among others. In turn, it discusses the influence of possible misuses or uncontrolled uses of neurotechnology on those concepts, and, more in general, on human rights and equality. Then, it makes some original proposals to deal with the main ethical, legal, and social problems associated to the use of neurotechnology, both in medicine and in everyday life, suggesting possible policies to protect privacy, neural data, and intimacy. Crossing the borders between humanities, natural sciences, bio-medicine, and engineering, and taking into account geographical and cultural differences, this book offers a conceptual debate around policy and decision making concerning some of the key neuroethical challenges of our times. It offers a comprehensive guide to the most important issues of neurojustice and neuroprotection, together with a set of new paradigms to face some of the most urgent neuroethical problems of our times.

Neurotechnology in National Security and Defense: Practical Considerations, Neuroethical Concerns is the second volume in the Advances in Neurotechnology series. It specifically addresses the neuroethical, legal, and social issues arising from the use of neurotechnology in national security and defense agendas and applications. Of particular concern are the use of various neurotechnologies in military and intelligence operations training, acquisition of neurobiological and cognitive data for intelligence and security, military medical operations, warfighter performance augmentation, and weaponization of neuroscience and neurotechnology. The contributors discuss the neuroethical questions and problems that these applications generate as well as potential solutions that may be required and developed. The book examines how developments in neurotechnology in national security and defense agendas are impacted by and affect ethical values and constructs, legal considerations, and overall conduct of the social sphere. Presenting an integrative perspective, leading international experts lay the scientific groundwork and establish the premises necessary to appreciate the ethical aspects of neurotechnology in national security and defense. It is not a question of "if" neurotechnology will be used in such ways, but when, how, and to what extent. Therefore, it is imperative to foster a deeper understanding of neurotechnology, the problems and debates arising from its use in national security and defense, and how such issues can and should be addressed. In doing so, we can guide and govern the use of these innovative neurotechnologies in ways that uphold ethical accountability.

This volume provides an interdisciplinary collection of essays from leaders in various fields addressing the current and future challenges arising from the implementation of AI in brain and mental health. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform health care and improve biomedical research. While the potential of AI in brain and mental health is tremendous, its ethical, regulatory and social impacts have not been assessed in a comprehensive and systemic way. The volume is structured according to three main sections, each of them focusing on different types of AI technologies. Part 1, Big Data and Automated Learning: Scientific and Ethical Considerations, specifically addresses issues arising from the use of AI software, especially machine learning, in the clinical context or for therapeutic applications. Part 2, AI for Digital Mental Health and Assistive Robotics: Philosophical and Regulatory Challenges, examines philosophical, ethical and regulatory issues arising from the use of an array of technologies beyond the clinical context. In the final section of the volume, Part 3 entitled AI in Neuroscience and Neurotechnology: Ethical, Social and Policy Issues, contributions examine some of the implications of AI in neuroscience and neurotechnology and the regulatory gaps or ambiguities that could potentially hamper the responsible development and implementation of AI solutions in brain and mental health. In light of its comprehensiveness and multi-disciplinary character, this book marks an important milestone in the public understanding of the ethics of AI in brain and mental health and provides a useful resource for any future investigation in this crucial and rapidly evolving area of AI application. The book is of interest to a wide audience in neuroethics, robotics, computer science, neuroscience, psychiatry and mental health.

Ethical Dimensions of Commercial and DIY Neurotechnologies Volume Three, the latest release in the Developments in Neuroethics and Bioethics series, highlights new advances in the field, with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on timely topics surrounding neuroethics and bioethics. Each chapter is written by an international board of authors. Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors Presents the latest release in the Developments in Neuroethics and Bioethics series Includes the latest information on the ethics of commercial and DIY neurotechnologies

New advances in neuroscience promise innovations in national security, especially in the areas of law enforcement, intelligence collection, and armed conflict. But ethical questions emerge about how we can, and should, use these innovations. This book draws on the open literature to map the development of neuroscience, particularly through funding by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, in certain areas like behavior prediction, behavior modification, and neuroenhancement, and its use in the creation of novel weapons. It shows how advances in neuroscience and new technologies raise ethical issues that challenge the norms of law enforcement, intelligence collection, and armed conflict, broadly grouped under the term "national security." Increasing technological sophistication without attention to ethics, this book argues, risks creating conditions for the development of "dual-use" technologies that may be prone to misuse, are grounded in an incomplete understanding of the brain, or are based on a limited view of the political contexts in which these technologies arise. A concluding section looks at policy and regulatory options that might promote the benefits of emerging neuroscience, while mitigating attendant risks. Key Features: First broad survey of the ethics of neuroscience as it applies to national security Innovative ethical analysis over a range of cross-cutting technologies including behavior prediction and modification tools, human enhancement, and novel lethal and nonlethal weapons Ethical analysis covering all stages from the development, testing, and use (or misuse) of these technologies; and decisions from the individual scientist to the nation state Strong policy focus at multiple levels, from self-governance to international regulation Combination of philosophical analysis with grounded, practical recommendations