Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) enable direct communication between the brain and external computers, allowing processing of brain activity and the ability to control external devices. While often used for medical purposes, BCIs may also hold great promise for nonmedical purposes to unlock human neurocognitive potential. In this Essay, we discuss the prospects and challenges of using BCIs for cognitive enhancement, focusing specifically on invasive enhancement BCIs (eBCIs). We discuss the ethical, legal, and scientific implications of eBCIs, including issues related to privacy, autonomy, inequality, and the broader societal impact of cognitive enhancement technologies. We conclude that the development of eBCIs raises challenges far beyond practical pros and cons, prompting fundamental questions regarding the nature of conscious selfhood and about who-and what-we are, and ought, to be.
Copyright: © 2024 Gordon, Seth. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.