The CNC will be hosting our next Neuroscience, AI and Society talk on November 4 at 7pm. Rafael Yuste (NeuroTechnology Center, Columbia University and Neurorights Foundation) will speak on “NeuroRights: Human Rights Guidelines for Neurotechnology”
Abstract:
The development of Neurotechnology, defined as novel methods to both record and alter brain activity, is poised to have a transformative effect in science, medicine and society. At the same time, neurotechnology, particularly when combined with AI, could have severe ethical and societal consequences. In my talk I will review the proposal made by the Morningside Group in 2017 to introduce new Human Rights into the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and provide ethical guidelines for neurotechnology development and its deployment (1). These rights (“NeuroRights) protect mental privacy, personal identity and personal agency, and guarantee fair access to cognitive augmentation and protection from algorithmic biases. To help implement these rights, we propose to follow the medical model (2), introducing a “Technocratic Oath” as a deontology in the neurotech and data industry and using existing societal mechanisms similar to those already implemented in the medical industry to regulate future development of Neurotech and AI. Finally, I will discuss current advocacy efforts for NeuroRights in different countries, including Chile’s recent NeuroRights constitutional amendment and bill of law, Spain’s Charter of Digital Rights, as well as the United Nations (3).
1. Yuste, R., Goering, S. and the Morningside Alliance Group (2017). Four ethical priorities for neurotechnologies and artificial intelligence. Nature 551, 159–163; 2017.
2. Goering, S. and Yuste, R. (2016). On the Necessity of Ethical Guidelines for Novel Neurotechnologies. Cell 167: 882-885.
3. Yuste R, Genser J and Herrmann S. It’s time for Neuro-Rights. Horizons. (2021)
18:154-64.