China’s Rapid Advancement in Brain-Computer Interface Technology
China is making significant strides in developing its own brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, competing with Western nations in this cutting-edge field. At a recent tech forum in Beijing, a Chinese company showcased a homegrown BCI device, highlighting the country’s progress in this area.
The Potential of Brain-Computer Interfaces
BCIs collect and analyze brain signals, enabling direct control of external devices such as robotic arms, keyboards, or smartphones. In the United States, companies like Neuralink and Synchron are working towards commercializing this technology.
China’s Focus on Non-Invasive BCIs
According to William Hannas, lead analyst at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), China has typically focused on non-invasive BCIs that are worn on the head, rather than invasive interfaces implanted in the brain or on its surface. However, the country is quickly catching up in the development of implantable BCIs for medical applications.
Ethical Guidelines and Cognitive Enhancement
China’s interest in non-invasive BCIs for the general population has raised concerns. In February 2024, the Communist Party released ethical guidelines that included cognitive enhancement of healthy individuals as a goal of Chinese BCI research. The guidelines, translated by CSET, state:
Nonmedical purposes such as attention modulation, sleep regulation, memory regulation, and exoskeletons for augmentative BCI technologies should be explored and developed to a certain extent, provided there is strict regulation and clear benefit.
The guidelines also emphasize the need to avoid replacing or weakening human decision-making capabilities before the technology surpasses human levels and gains societal consensus.
Improving Analysis of Brain Signals
Wearable BCIs rely on electroencephalography (EEG) devices, which use electrodes placed on the scalp to detect electrical signals. These signals are more challenging to interpret than those inside the brain. China is investing heavily in machine learning techniques to enhance the analysis of brain signals, as reported by CSET.
US Companies and Military Research
Some US companies, such as Emotiv and Neurable, are developing wearable BCIs aimed at improving attention and focus. The US Department of Defense has also funded research on wearable interfaces that could potentially enable military personnel to control cyber-defense systems or drones.
Differences in US and China’s Approach to BCI Research
Margaret Kosal, associate professor of international affairs at Georgia Institute of Technology, highlights a key difference between the US and China’s approach to BCI research:
The US has not explicitly linked our civilian science with our military research. China’s strategy fundamentally links the military and the commercial, and that is why there is concern.
The US BRAIN Initiative, launched in 2013, focuses on basic research and clinical applications, while China’s brain project, launched in 2016, aims to develop technologies for both medical purposes and connecting humans and machines.
Implications for US National Security
Kosal argues that China is more likely to widely adopt BCI technologies in commercial and military sectors due to its government structure, sociocultural norms, and the alignment of its neuroscience research goals with military objectives. Earlier adoption of BCIs by China could have implications for US national security if these technologies provide cognitive enhancement in warfighters and the merging of human and machine intelligence.
Justin Sanchez, a technical fellow at Battelle, emphasizes the importance of the US keeping pace with BCI development to avoid being at a disadvantage in both medical and national security aspects.
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Is China’s next big move blending humans with machines, or are we stepping into a dystopian nightmare?