Keynote Presentation: How Closed Is The Loop? The Ethics of Agency in Future of Adaptive Neurostimulation with Live Q&A

Deep–Brain Stimulation (DBS) has become an effective means of treating a variety of neurological conditions. Most DBS systems work are "open-loop," and apply constant stimulation over the lifetime of the treatment. The next generation of DBS systems are "closed-loop,” recording neural activity and adjusting stimulation to adapt to the user’s needs. Different ways of controlling DBS, however, will likely produce different experiences of agency for their users—with differing moral outcomes. In this talk, I suggest that the constituent components of a closed-loop system change the experience of user agency in ways that could call the trustworthiness of these devices, and the institutions that create them, into question.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss components of an adaptive brain computer-interface.

2. Identify the ethical issues that arise from each of the component tasks performed by brain computer interfaces.

3. Evaluate the design and user-experience of brain-computer interfaces to anticipate and address ethical issues.