Neuroscience, AI, and Technology Seminar: Rafael Yuste

Rafael Yuste (Professor, NeuroTechnology Center, Columbia University and Neurorights Foundation) will give a talk in the CNC’s ongoing Neuroscience, AI, and Technology series on Thursday December 2 at 7 PM Pacific in Foege Auditorium. The talk will be streamed, and free registration is open here.

NeuroRights: Human Rights Guidelines for Neurotechnology

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 this talk Yuste 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. These “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, 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.