Last month, at a meeting in Paris hosted by UNESCO, delegates finalized a set of ethical principles to govern neurotechnologies. The delegates considered both implantable devices and non-invasive technologies, which could be used in fields as diverse as medicine, entertainment, and education. In Nature, Media Lab research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna and other experts spoke to science journalist Kristel Tjandra about the recommendations, which UNESCO Member States will vote on in November.

 By Liam Drew

The meeting considered a range of neurotechnology applications, including devices designed to be implanted into the body and non-invasive devices, which are being explored in medicine, entertainment and education.

Legislation already exists for implanted brain–computer devices in regions including the United States and the European Union.

The brain-reading devices helping paralysed people to move, talk and touch

But non-medical consumer devices, such as wearables, are less regulated. These devices raise ethical concerns owing to their potential to be rapidly scaled up, says Nataliya Kosmyna, a neurotechnologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge who helped to draft the recommendations. “It’s very critical to understand the infrastructure and scalability of these devices,” she says.