Neural interfaces are a mechanism to connect an electronic device with the brain, allowing control signals to flow bi-directionally between the brain and the device. Recorded November 2020.
Research advances on Next Generation Neural Interfaces and brain science are now reaching the point at which microelectronic brain implants are technically & medically feasible, allowing a person (or another animal) to directly interact with a machine. The benefits to control an artificial limb or to provide brain stimulation to counter the effects of neurological disease are appealing. The potential for a machine to take control of a person is disturbing but a foreseeable potential outcome, particularly with AI in the loop.
This joint event between Friends of Imperial College and the Society for Computers and Law explored the latest research, looked at the ethical aspects of neural interfaces and found out how regulatory arrangements need to be in place through international collaboration.
Participants included:
Dr Timothy Constandinou, Deputy Director, Centre for Bio-inspired Technology, Imperial College London
Professor Raanan Gillon, Emeritus Professor of Medical Ethics, Faculty of Medicine, School of Public Health, Imperial College London
Lord Clement-Jones, Chair of the House of Lords Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Co-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Artificial Intelligence
Professor David Nutt, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Brain Science, The Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology, Imperial College London
Jack Pilkington, Senior Policy Adviser, Emerging Technologies and Futures, The Royal Society
Patricia Shaw, SCL Trustee, CEO, Beyond Reach Consulting
Chris De Mauny, Senior Associate, Bird & Bird LLP