As neurotechnology advances, UNICEF is investigating the ways it could affect the rights of children. Media Lab research scientist Nataliya Kosmyna is one of the experts serving as an advisor to this project. 

About the project by UNICEF

Rapid advancements at the convergence of AI and neurotechnology provide unprecedented potential for capturing, sharing, and manipulating functions of the human brain and nervous system. Neurotechnology offers powerful opportunities for improving children’s health, well-being and optimizing education, but also presents new challenges to child rights that need to be addressed to prevent harm and unintended consequences. If neurotechnology progresses unchecked it can impact children’s rights to freedom of thought and their mental privacy, reaching at the heart of what it means to be an individual. However, very few academic and policy efforts exist that help map, explain and translate the implications of AI and neurotechnology for children’s rights.