The functional differentiation of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) and its ethical implications

The growth of research and applications of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) has spurred extensive discussion about their ethical implications. However, most existing research has primarily examined ethical issues related to BCIs from a general perspective, with little attention paid to the specific functions of the technology. This has resulted in a mismatch between governance and ethical issues, due to the lack of differentiation between write-in and read-out BCIs. By providing detailed descriptions of the functions and technical approaches of both write-in and read-out BCIs, we argue that ethical governance of BCIs should follow the principle of precise governance and develop refined governance strategies for different functional types of BCIs.

Xiao-yu Sun, Bin Ye