The Ethics of Neuralink

Have you ever wanted to be smarter?

Well, if that is the case, Neuralink technology may make your dream a reality by providing enhanced cognition, bringing you to your next intellectual level as a being of superior, mechanically infused intelligence. While this future sounds awesome—and it is—it poses dilemmas that must be tackled by ethical thinkers around the world. We must consider: how can we engineer this technology to improve the quality of human life, protect the privacy of its users, and address a society divided by this technology?

A Revolutionary Technology for Curing Neurological Diseases

Neuralink has already demonstrated its immense capabilities for treating neurological diseases. Brad Smith, who suffered from ALS—a neurological disease that inhibited his ability to communicate—exhibited remarkable capabilities following the installation of his Neuralink device. He was able to control technology with his mind and posted on X, “I am typing this with my brain. It is my primary communication.” These foundational cases mark the beginning of a journey aimed at helping improve lives.

Data Privacy and Security

For Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) to be ethical, the privacy of users must be regarded as a top priority. Adherence to clear, enforceabale ethical guidelines should be a baseline requirement for any company or institution developing BCI systems. A cornerstone of modern tech ethics is transparency: users should have complete control over the data and information collected by their device, how it is stored, and who has access to it. Individuals must retain complete control over their neural data, with the ability to opt in, opt out, or delete it entirely. Without these guidelines, BCIs risk becoming tools of exploitation rather than empowerment.

A Society with Brains Enhanced by Technology

A future with brain enhancement technology risks creating a major social divide between the technologically enhanced elite class and the unintegrated commoners. The divide could deepen as the elite continue to make advancements using their intellectual advantage, while the unintegrated class remains cognitively excluded, surviving on their—feeble in comparison—natural intelligence. Despite the cost potentially being an exclusive factor, it should not be a reason to limit technological progress. It is true that the first versions of any breakthrough technology are expensive: cars, smartphones, computers. What once was highly exclusive became accessible because smart people created solutions. Brain-Computer Interfaces will follow the same trajectory if we build them right.