New paper on ethical principals of human augmentation published in Neuroethics

Human augmentation is defined as the use of science or technology to modify human performance temporarily, or permanently, to exceed normal physical and/or psychological capabilities of a human body. In this paper, we describe the results of a mixed-methods study using focus groups and a web-based survey among serving military personnel examining how important and appropriate the participants thought nine principles in the defence context (necessity, human dignity, informed consent, transparency and accountability, equity, privacy, ongoing review, international law, and broader social impact) were when considering the development, adoption, and implementation of human augmentation technology. We explore the participants’ stated reasons for their ratings, and the association with indicators of experience and socio-demographic groups. Thereby, we provide insights into how the principles can relate to each other at various stages of the technology life cycle, and how they could function together to support a thorough ethical analysis during the implementation of such technology. Following our analysis, several refinements to the principles are subsequently suggested.