On 28th April 2025 the European Brain Council published the European Charter for the Responsible Development of Neurotechnologies. I was invited to join the working group as an industry expert, due to my neuroscience background and my work at SynSense on ultra-low-power AI.

The Charter was developed by a Task Force convened by the European Brain Council, bringing together stakeholders from neuroscience, clinical practice, patient organisations, industry and policy, and was refined through a public consultation across Europe. It has now been endorsed by over 60 organisations.

Why neurotechnology needs ultra-low-power AI

Due to the tiny thermal budgets for sub-cranial BCI compute, technologies like neuromorphic engineering are needed to push the power budgets as low as possible. Several companies are now pushing AI compute for BCI technologies, and the ultra-low-power AI we develop at SynSense is part of that picture.

This raises serious ethical concerns: inviolability of the self; invasive surveillance based on brain data; the potential for manipulation or control; not to mention informed consent, and proof of any claims of medical or psychological benefit. I was concerned that neurotech should be developed with responsible governance and oversight.

My concerns in the working group

I was most concerned about manipulation and misuse of individuals' brain data, in terms of surveillance and possible eventual control of an individual. The Charter addresses these risks in its principles on protection of neural data, and on prevention of misuse, malicious applications and manipulation.

I was also concerned about long-term support of neural prostheses: indefinite support should be possible in the event that a company stops producing a prosthesis, or if the company ceases operating. This is reflected in the Charter's principle on reliability, safety, security and long-term support.

Read the Charter

The full text is available from the European Brain Council (PDF), along with the list of contributors and endorsing organisations on the Charter page.