Sharon Begley, a noted science editorialist, wrote “New brain technologies pose threats to privacy and autonomy that are all too real, experts warn” in 2017 calling attention to what is likely to become a major ethical issue for humanity. She referenced the Nature editorial “Four ethical priorities for neurotechnologies and AI”. As neuroscience advances (literally by “leaps and bounds”), concerns about privacy, security, and a host of other issues are sure to become important, not only for individuals, but for scientists, for-profit companies, and governments.
You should read the Nature editorial (the Begley editorial is optional) before you begin your paper. The Nature editorial covers concerns.
- Privacy and consent: For example, if you have face recognition on your phone, how concerned are you about being hacked? What about national security concerns?
- Agency and Identity: For example, could some form of neurotechnology enable a user to drive safely when intoxicated while leaving some cognitive functions intact?
- Augmentation: Augmentation could also be “reversed”. If you’ve seen the Black Mirror episode “Arkangel”, you know where this question could go. What if a couple wanted an infant to remain childlike throughout their lives?
- Bias: Is it possible to eliminate all bias in neurotechnology? If some bias is unavoidable, how can fair policies be written and enforced?
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