PROJECT: JTC2020-ELSA: HYBRIDMIND

HYBRIDMINDS aims to provide the first systematic exploration of the experiential, ethical, and legal significance of the functional integration of neuroprostheses with the human mind, especially those that incorporate Artificial Intelligence. The project will a) to conceptualize the novel phenomenon of hybrid minds, b) use qualitative interviews with users of experimental and clinical neuroprostheses to understand their experiences and attitudes toward these devices, c) identify the ethical and legal challenges arising from hybrid minds, d) to offer new knowledge and concrete guidance to aid neuroengineers, patients and clinicians, ethicists, lawyers and regulators to respond to the nascent experimental and clinical use of intelligent neuroprostheses, and e) to analyze and advance calls for better human rights protection with respect to neurotechnologies. Our dissemination strategy is multi-faceted, including (a) the first-of-its-kind international stake-holder conference on the regulation of intelligent neuroprostheses, (b) guidance for patient-centered, ethically-aligned technology design and evaluation, (c) guidance for clinical implementation for use by clinicians and patients and (d) an ethico-legal perspective on current debates about the regulation of AI-based neuroprostheses as medical devices in the EU, Switzerland and Canada.