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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has expressed concerns about the rapid advancement of Neurotechnology, stating that it poses a threat to human rights and calls for global regulation. At a conference in Paris, UNESCO will initiate the development of a “universal ethical framework” for neurotechnology, which integrates computer-brain interfaces and utilizes artificial intelligence to analyze neural activity. Mariagrazia Squicciarini, the lead author of a UNESCO report on the accelerated progress of neurotechnology, described the integration of AI as a significant enhancement to neurotechnology.
While neurotechnology, including brain implants for diagnosing and treating disorders, has shown promising results in improving the lives of individuals with disabilities, the increased utilization of AI-based programs that can decipher thoughts and store neural data has raised concerns about its ethical applications. Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO’s Assistant Director-General for Social and Human Sciences, warns that the potential benefits come at the cost of human rights, autonomy, privacy, and overall well-being.
According to UNESCO researchers, private investments in neurotech companies, such as Onward Medical and Neuralink, have increased more than 20 times since 2010, reaching $7.3 billion in 2020. The neurotech device market is projected to exceed $24 billion by 2027. This surge in investment is reflected in the significant rise of scientific publications and patents related to neurotechnology.
Rafael Yuste, Director of the Neurotechnology Center at Columbia University, emphasizes the need for international regulation to preserve mental privacy. Recent studies have demonstrated the ability to decode speech and images from the brains of human volunteers using non-invasive devices combined with advanced AI models. Yuste warns that neurotech companies in the US and Canada often claim ownership of the user’s neural data, making mental property protection vital.
Yuste’s research has even achieved the manipulation of neural processing in mice, inducing hallucinations and opening discussions about the potential manipulation of human brain activity. UNESCO’s Squicciarini clarifies that their concerns are not against the progress of neurotechnology but rather a call for globally coordinated regulation, covering both medical and consumer markets.
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