(Research in the Law of Emerging Technologies)
by Rostam J. Neuwirth (Author)
AI
in combination with other innovative technologies promises to bring
unprecedented opportunities to all aspects of life. These technologies,
however, hold great dangers, especially for the manipulation of the
human mind, which have given rise to serious ethical concerns. Apart
from some sectoral regulatory efforts to address these concerns, no
regulatory framework for AI has yet been adopted though in 2021 the
European Commission of the EU published a draft Act on Artificial
Intelligence and UNESCO followed suit with a Recommendation on the
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.
The book
contextualises the future regulation of AI, specifically addressing the
regulatory challenges relating to the planned prohibition of the use of
AI systems that deploy subliminal techniques. The convergence of AI with
various related technologies, such as brain–computer interfaces,
functional magnetic resonance imaging, robotics and big data, already
allows for "mind reading" or "dream hacking" through brain spyware, as
well as other practices that intrude on cognition and the right to
freedom of thought. Future innovations will enhance the possibilities
for manipulating thoughts and behaviour, and they threaten to cause
serious harm to individuals as well as to society as a whole.
The
issue of subliminal perception and the ability to deceive and
manipulate the mind below the threshold of awareness causes severe
difficulties for law and democracy and raises important questions for
the future of society. This book shows how cognitive, technological, and
legal questions are intrinsically interwoven, and aims to stimulate an
urgently needed transdisciplinary and transnational debate between
students, academics, practitioners, policymakers and citizens interested
not only in the law but also in disciplines including computer science,
neuroscience, sociology, political science, marketing and psychology.
