Closed-Loop Neurotechnologies, Agency and Mental Interference

Closed-loop neurotechnologies bring great promise for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders. However, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their application raises ethical concerns, since AI-driven closed-loop devices may cause unforeseen mental interference that might, absent consent, infringe the user's mental rights. Whether such worries are warranted, however, may depend on whether closed-loop neurotechnologies qualify as moral agents, and on whether they are distinct from the moral agent on whose brain they act. If they are not moral agents, or are not separate moral agents, they will arguably be incapable of infringing the user's mental rights. In this article, we explore different possible agential relationships between the human user and closed-loop neurotechnologies and consider the implications for the protection that our mental rights provide.