China's first "Ethical Guidelines for Brain-Computer Interface Research" was recently officially announced by the Ministry of Science and Technology, guiding the compliance of brain-computer interface research and delineating the "red line" and "bottom line" for the development of brain-computer interfaces that have a high sense of existence recently.
Brain-computer interface refers to a new type of cross-cutting technology that creates an information channel between the brain and external devices to achieve direct information interaction between the two. Recently, there have been news reports in the United States and China about the launch of clinical implantation trials of brain-computer interfaces. At the same time, the "Implementation Opinions on Promoting the Innovation and Development of Future Industries" was released, which clarified the top ten landmark products of the future industry, and "brain-computer interface" was impressively listed. These news have made brain-computer interfaces a hot topic, and everyone expects brain-computer interfaces to bring good news to people with disabilities, and many people are worried about whether brain-computer interface chips will become a "backdoor" for hackers.
Research ethics is the code of ethics and code of conduct in scientific research. Brain-computer interfaces do pose ethical issues, but they are not a new challenge, nor are they unique. In the process of scientific and technological development, any new technology that bravely enters the no-man's land has various risks and hidden dangers due to its incompatibility and uncertainty, so it is necessary to emphasize the presence of science and technology for good and ethics. Mankind has always paid attention to the ethical issues of scientific research, especially in recent years, because the current rapid development of science and technology has led to the high-density and high-intensity emergence of ethical issues, which has put forward higher requirements for the relevant ethical norms to keep pace with the times.
China's first "Ethical Guidelines for Brain-Computer Interface Research" not only has individual regulations for brain-computer interface, but also has common principles for future-oriented industrial technologies, which has guiding significance for the standardized development of brain-computer interfaces, and also has reference significance for the standardized development of other future industrial technologies.
For example, the guidelines clarify the general requirements for conducting brain-computer interface research, emphasizing that the conduct of brain-computer interface research must comply with relevant laws and regulations in China, follow internationally recognized ethical guidelines, and professional consensus and technical specifications reached by the scientific community. This is the "bottom line" for the development of brain-computer interfaces, and it is also the bottom line that other emerging technologies also need to abide by. For another example, the guidelines also draw a "red line" for prohibitions: it is not allowed to conduct illegal activities, infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of others, and undermine social stability through brain-computer interface research; False advertising information that is inconsistent with the actual effects of brain-computer interfaces must not be disseminated.
The common ethical norms reflect the principles of scientific research ethics and the consensus of the scientific community, while the individual ethical norms highlight the investigation and research and forward-looking prediction of emerging technologies. The "Ethical Guidelines for Brain-Computer Interface Research" clearly defines the main terms in brain-computer interfaces, predicts the risks of different types of brain-computer interface research, and gives targeted specifications and detailed rules, and also states that the guidelines will be "regularly evaluated and revised in due course". This shows that the formulation of ethical norms itself also needs to strengthen scientific research, so as to scientifically delineate the "red line" and "bottom line", and to build an integrated mechanism of identification, assessment, defense and governance.
Of course, the development of ethical norms is only the first step to ensure the healthy development of scientific research. Establish a multi-participatory, effective and coordinated future industrial governance pattern, guide enterprises to establish self-discipline mechanisms such as data management and product development, and improve safety monitoring, early warning analysis and emergency response methods, so as to implement scientific research ethics.
The future industry is significantly strategic, leading, disruptive and uncertain, which also means higher ethical risks in scientific research. Ethics has become a "must-have" and "must-answer" question in the future development of the industry. It is expected that more industries in the future will establish and improve relevant ethical norms and develop in a healthy and orderly manner. (This article**: Economy** Author: She Huimin).