Brain-computer interface (BCI) represents a strategic frontier technology driving a new wave of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. In China, BCI has been designated as one of the six industries of the future. The year 2025 marks a historic transition of BCI technologies from laboratory-based exploration to large-scale clinical deployment, with the clinical value of BCI systematically validated across multiple domains and scenarios. The field has formally entered into a new phase of practical development driven by clinical needs. This article analyzes the innovation ecosystem of BCI, highlights major advances achieved in 2025, and explores future development trajectories. The BCI innovation ecosystem comprises three layers. The foundational layer encompasses two pillars: brain science and machine-related technologies. The core technology layer covers the technical pipeline from signal acquisition and processing to execution and feedback. The application layer is centered on healthcare while expanding into diversified domains, including education and consumer applications, industrial manufacturing, intelligent transportation, and military and security. Major advances in 2025 are reflected in several aspects. First, systematic progress has been achieved in brain atlases and perceptual-cognitive mechanisms, providing a theoretical basis for BCI. Second, in core technological innovation, multimodal signal integration has accelerated; hardware such as electrodes and chips has rapidly evolved toward minimally invasive, highly integrated, low-power, and high-throughput designs; and large brain models have driven signal decoding toward higher accuracy, stronger generalizability, improved robustness, and scenario-oriented deployment. Third, clinically, BCIs have advanced from restoring motor, language, and visual functions to enabling precise closed-loop modulation of neuropsychiatric disorders, while also achieving scaled applications in consumer, industrial, educational, and national security contexts. Fourth, policies, standards, reimbursement systems, capital investment, and platform infrastructures have jointly established a robust innovation foundation, fostering a relatively mature industrial ecosystem. Looking ahead, diverse technological pathways are expected to advance in parallel, with deep integration of biological intelligence and artificial intelligence giving rise to a brain-machine intelligence symbiosis. Application scenarios are anticipated to expand rapidly, evolving from “functional substitution” to “capability enhancement” and ultimately to “experience creation”. Industrial competition will increasingly take the form of competition among ecosystems. In this rapidly evolving landscape, data and algorithms alongside devices will emerge as core assets, accompanied by complex ethical and legal challenges that necessitate the development of comprehensive governance frameworks.
Ruan et al. (Wed,) studied this question.