Call for Papers: Ethics and Policy in Neurotechnology

Neurotechnology needs an urgent and focused discussion on what effective policy and regulation looks like for this rapidly expanding field. A pioneering science, such as combining neuroscience with new technologies, necessitates rigorous scrutiny and clear policy frameworks to guide ethical development, application, and evaluation. Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies with hardware and software advancements and neuroscience can open new opportunities for scientific discovery within the central nervous system. At the same time, this introduces new ethical, legal, social, and medical questions while also amplifying or emphasizing existing issues. 

While the EU AI Act prohibits manipulative AI (https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/), the direct link that neurotechnology creates could increase the potential for vulnerabilities. As AI-integrated brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) shift from experiments and clinical trials to applications in consumer or even military sectors, the capacity to monitor or modulate neural activity is rapidly outpacing current ethical frameworks. This commercial and defense-driven advancement creates a gap in policy regarding cognitive liberty, where legal definitions of mental privacy remain insufficient to protect from data harvesting or dual-use exploitation.

This new section in JMIR Neurotechnology focuses on the responsible and ethical use of neurotechnology. We welcome submissions on ethics and policy in neurotechnology, including original research, case series, theoretical viewpoints, and data-driven analyses, that explore the intersection of safety, ethics, policy, and practical implementation. By scrutinizing these emerging issues and proposing actionable solutions, contributors will help provide the pragmatic policy insights necessary to advance the field.

Example topics for authors submitting to this section include but are not limited to:

• Standards for biocompatibility, material corrosion, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) diagnostic compatibility
• Comparative ethics and safety of intravenous versus direct-to-cortex implantation methods
• Technical standards for neural data anonymization
• Data privacy, security, and confidentiality, including informed consent from users for data sharing
• Security protocols for protecting wireless BCIs from signal hijacking or interference
• Strategies to mitigate planned obsolescence and ensure long-term implant functionality
• Policies for mandatory firmware updates and monitoring late-onset surgical complications
• Policy frameworks for orphaned implants and long-term support for defunct neurotech firms
• Dynamic consent models for adaptive BCI systems with evolving AI behavior
• Regulatory boundaries on the AI-driven interpretation of subconscious neural activity
• Legal protections for cognitive liberty against subconscious algorithmic manipulation
• Ethical frameworks for nonmedical cognitive augmentation and elective neural implantation
• Dual-use governance for BCIs transitioning from clinical care to military or intelligence applications
• Global accessibility frameworks to prevent a socioeconomic neuro-digital divide

Submit Now

Submission Guidelines:

Submit your paper to JMIR Neurotechnology by selecting “Ethics and Policy in Neurotechnology” in the “Section” drop-down list. See the article How do I submit to a theme issue? in our Knowledge Base and consult our Instructions for Authors for more information.

All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process, and accepted articles will be published under the theme “Ethics and Policy in Neurotechnology” in JMIR Neurotechnology.

All peer-reviewed articles will be made immediately and permanently open access.

Articles will be made immediately available in JMIR Preprints (with a DOI) if authors select this option at submission.

Editors:

Sara Simblett, PhD (Cantab), DClinPsy, MSc, BSc (Hons)

Stefano Brini, PhD