Social impact and governance of AI and neurotechnologies

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and brain science are going to have a huge impact on society. While technologies based on those advances can provide enormous social benefits, adoption of new technologies poses various risks. This article first reviews the co-evolution of AI and brain science and the benefits of brain-inspired AI in sustainability, healthcare, and scientific discoveries. We then consider possible risks from those technologies, including intentional abuse, autonomous weapons, cognitive enhancement by brain-computer interfaces, insidious effects of social media, inequity, and enfeeblement. We also discuss practical ways to bring ethical principles into practice. One proposal is to stop giving explicit goals to AI agents and to enable them to keep learning human preferences. Another is to learn from democratic mechanisms that evolved in human society to avoid over-consolidation of power. Finally, we emphasize the importance of open discussions not only by experts, but also including a diverse array of lay opinions.