While the clinical promise is considerable, large and growing cohorts of people standing to benefit, realising the full therapeutic potential of BCIs requires more than technical success. Patients often report significant improvements in mood, motor control, or cognitive function, but these gains are frequently accompanied by profound psychological disturbances, including altered self-perception, emotional volatility, and existential distress. There is a strong scientific consensus pointing toward the fact that the success of these BCI interventions at scale will depend on our ability to address not only surgical and neurological factors, but also the psychological and ethical complexities of long-term device integration.
Australian research has played a pivotal role in mapping these under-explored dimensions.
For instance, the work of Associate Professor Frédéric Gilbert (University of Tasmania) has shown that patients often experience a merging of self with the device which can both enhance and destabilise one’s sense of identity and agency. His interdisciplinary neuroethics research has not only shaped international policy on human rights and neurotechnology but has also helped establish ethical frameworks that can guide safe and socially accepted BCI innovation.
It has also substantially contributed to shaping public understanding and opinion about BCI innovation. Such humanities-led work builds Australia’s reputation as a trusted player, and can equip Australian innovators to ensure that medical technologies are not only clinically effective but also ethically sustainable and trusted by the public.
