Brain implants to restore speech to paralyzed patients, headsets that measure attention in real time, bracelets that translate nerve signals into clicks: neurotechnologies are gradually leaving laboratories. These devices, which make it possible to measure, analyze and modulate the activity of the nervous system using digital technology and artificial intelligence, still remain poorly known to the general public.
Faced with this acceleration, the National Consultative Committee on Ethics (CCNE) and the National Consultative Committee on Digital Ethics (CCNEN) published in spring 2026 a joint opinion on brain-machine interfaces and other
digital neurotechnologies. They defend strict supervision to prevent these tools from becoming commonplace outside the medical field, with consequences that are difficult to anticipate.
Digital neurotechnologies: a real but targeted hope for patients
For both committees, the first reality remains medical. These technologies are beginning to improve certain symptoms of neurological, psychiatric or sensory diseases and to compensate for serious disabilities, for example via deep brain stimulation in Parkinson’s disease, walking neuroprostheses or cochlear implants. “For certain people with neurological diseases or disabilities, digital neurotechnologies open up real perspectives. This hope must be accompanied by a constant demand for beneficence and non-maleficence“, underlines Jean-Antoine Girault, neurologist and research director at INSERM and member of the CCNE.
However, the uses promise to be much broader: professional and educational sectors, sports training, video games, “well-being” devices sold on the internet. The committees warn against this “potential trivialization” outside of medical indications, while the benefits in these contexts remain uncertain and the long-term effects on individuals and on society are very poorly documented.
Sensitive neural data and possible drift from non-medical uses
At the heart of the alert, neural data
from the brain or nervous system. This information can, combined with other digital traces, identify a person and give clues about their attention, emotions or certain mental states. “Potential access to brain activity affects what constitutes the very identity of the person. The protection of extremely sensitive neural data is a priority and must be guaranteed“, indicates Catherine Tessier, research director at ONERA and member of the CCNEN. The committees ask that they be treated as sensitive personal data within the meaning of the GDPR, that their local processing is privileged and that their use for commercial targeting or recommendation algorithms is prohibited.
The common opinions also target non-medical uses. Invasive neurotechnological devices (implants, deep electrodes) would be prohibited outside of medical indications. Non-invasive brain stimulation systems should be considered medical devices, with online sales controlled. In business, the use of neural data for hiring, evaluation, promotion or dismissal would be considered discrimination under the Penal Code. The committees still recommend banning devices that use brain activity for financial decisions or gambling.
Children, world of work, bioethics: where to place the red lines?
The developing brain children and adolescents constitutes a major point of vigilance. Apart from research or medical indications, CCNE and CCNEN recommend prohibiting any use of digital neurotechnologies among minors, including at school or in leisure time, whether they are attention headsets in class or video games adapting their difficulty to brain activity in real time. The committees wish to include these subjects on the agenda of the General states of bioethics and regularly reassess the framework, in line with European law on data and artificial intelligence. “The development of digital neurotechnologies requires an ethical framework that matches both their promises and their risks. Innovation must remain at the service of the human person.”, underlines Claude Kirchner, president of the CCNEN.
The CCNE and the CCNEN emphasize that the evolution of digital neurotechnologies must comply with the essential principles of bioethics and digital ethics. This aims to ensure that innovation promotes medical and scientific advances while protecting human rights, freedoms and integrity.