UN body sets standards for neurotechnology with global ethics code

The new guidelines aim to protect human rights as neurotech use expands beyond medicine into consumer devices and workplaces

Even as artificial intelligence (AI) and its various versions receive attention, another rapidly developing and influential force is neurotechnology. 

Unesco, in a landmark action, has adopted a global ethics framework on neurotechnology for member states. “The recommendation, which will enter into force on November 12, establishes essential safeguards to ensure that neurotechnology contributes to improving the lives of those who need it the most, without jeopardising human rights,” Unesco said in a statement last week.  

The technology encompasses a range of methods designed to directly measure, modulate, or stimulate the human nervous system. In