Stanford Neuroscientist Warns Society Unprepared for Brain Augmentation Ethics

What was said

"I personally don't think that we've thought enough, actually, about what these kind of scenarios are going to look like. And I don't think we've thought through all the ethical implications of what this means for augmentation in particular. Who gets access to this technology? These are all things that are going to become real-world problems."

Dr. Eddie Chang, chair of neurological surgery at UCSF, cautioned that while brain-machine interfaces for cognitive and physical augmentation are approaching commercial viability, society has not adequately considered ethical implications. He noted that while enhancement is not new—humans have long used substances and devices to boost performance—invasive neural technologies raise unprecedented questions about access, equity, and societal impact that remain unresolved.