Neuroethics of Non-primary Brain Computer Interface: Focus on Potential Military Applications

Abstract

The field of neuroethics has had to adapt rapidly in the face of accelerating technological advancement; a particularly striking example is the realm of Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). A significant source of funding for the development of new BCI technologies has been the United States Department of Defense, and while the predominant focus has been restoration of lost function for those wounded in battle, there is also significant interest in augmentation of function to increase survivability, coordination, and lethality of US combat forces. While restoration of primary motor and sensory function (primary BCI) has been the main focus of research, there has been marked progress in interface with areas of the brain subserving memory and association. Non-Primary BCI has a different subset of potential applications, each of which also carries its own ethical considerations. Given the amount of BCI research funding coming from the Department of Defense, it is particularly important that potential military applications be examined from a neuroethical standpoint.

Assessing the Risks Posed by the Convergence of Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology

“…43 Additionally, studies have explored the military applications of BCIs, and the field receives a bulk of its funding from US Department of Defense sources such as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. 44 While the commercial implementation of BCIs may not occur until well into the future, it is still valuable to consider the risks that could arise in order to highlight the need for security-by-design thinking and avoid path dependency, which could result in vulnerabilities-like those seen with current medical devices-persisting in future implementations. Cyber vulnerabilities in current BCIs have already been identified, including those that could cause physical harm to the user and influence behavior.…”

Neuroethical Issues in Times of Health Crisis. What Roles for Neurosciences, IA, Neurotechnologies?<strong> </strong>

“…However, behind this experimental research on neuroscience and neurotechnology, questions will eventually arise about the commercialization of such devices, as well as the use and applications of these neurotechnologies in the military field [74]. There is therefore an urgent need to consider whether the use of neurotechnologies that stimulate brain activity in a period of health crisis, when the brain is already under severe strain, would not be counterproductive for some people.…”

Single-Trial EEG Classification with EEGNet and Neural Structured Learning for Improving BCI Performance

“…Advancements in the field of machine learning has led to wide improvement in Brain-computer Interface (BCI) technologies [1]. BCI aims at providing a direct communication pathway between the human brain and control assistive applications, such as stroke rehabilitation [2], robot and wheelchair control [3], [4], gaming and enhancing user experience [5], [6] and Military [7]. BCI technologies follows the principle that the intent of any action and its subsequent planning originates from the brain, which can be extracted, decoded and analyzed using advanced signal processing, machine learning and statistical algorithms [8]- [10].…”