REBELMUN 2018 COMMISSION ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR DEVELOPMENT. My name is Mackenzie Leavitt, and I am grateful for the opportunity to chair this

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1 Dear Delegates, My name is Mackenzie Leavitt, and I am grateful for the opportunity to chair this weekend. This is my third (and sadly last) time chairing for the Rebel MUN conference. In high school, I competed in speech and debate years for four years and MUN for three years. I also competed for UNLV s MUN organization as a student and founding member until I graduated with my Bachelor s degree in Psychology and a minor in neuroscience last December. I currently work as a research assistant at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in the Neuropsychology department, where I study neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson s and Alzheimer s. I am particularly eager to chair this committee s topics because not only are these issues directly relevant to neuroscience and psychology, they will also continually touch our lives in profound and unpredictable ways. As you prepare for this conference, I encourage you to seriously consider the implications of emerging technologies. These technologies will give humanity unprecedented power, which can be used to liberate greater numbers of people but can also be used as tools of oppression and terror. As delegates, you have a unique opportunity to reflect on the kind of future we will want to use this power to shape. I look forward to working with you all in April!

2 Topic Background In 2014, the attention of the global community was captured when the opening ceremonies of the football World Cup featured a paraplegic man kicking a ball with a mindcontrolled robotic exoskeleton (Palmer 2018). The international community witnessed the revolutionary potential of a new type of technology that many still view as science fiction. The technology that allowed this man to kick the ball at the World cup is broadly referred to as a Brain Computer Interface (BCI). The technical definition of a BCI is defined by Hassanien and Tazar : Brain computer interface (BCI)... is a system that enables humans to interact with their surroundings via employing control signals... without the intervention of peripheral nerves and muscles. (2015). In brief, this technology reads brain activity and then connects this brain activity to machines that individuals can learn to control and modify with their thoughts. In the World Cup example, electrodes implanted in the regions of the brain responsible for generating movement were remotely connected to a robot which he was then able to control by thinking about the motions of kicking the ball. Although much academic debate exists about the specific definitions of these kinds of technologies, for the purposes of this committee, a BCI will refer to any technology that interacts directly with brain activity to augment or modify human capabilities. In the field of BCI research, the last twenty years have yielded unprecedented progress. One of the earliest BCI s developed is known as the cochlear implant, a device that stimulates the auditory nerve of the brain, allowing deaf/hard of hearing individuals to hear better. This technology is comparatively primitive with developments in recent years. For example, in multiple laboratories, BCI s have been developed that allow monkeys and people to move robotic limbs and devices using the electrical activity of their brain connected to computers that

3 translate it (Lazarou 2018). Human clinical trials of similar technologies are currently underway to help paralyzed patients learn to use their brain activity to operate external devices. These trials are also testing this potential by creating human prosthetics with more sophisticated motor capacities (Shih 2012). Companies such as BrainGate, Neuralink, MindMaze, and BrainRobotics are all actively investigating the potential applications of this research (Nanalyze 2017). In the shorter term, BCI may end paralysis, hearing and vision loss, and cure certain kinds of neurological disease and injury entirely. In the long term, some experts believe they may allow human beings to send and receive memories, feelings, sensations, and thoughts electronically. They may augment human performance, allow human beings to access the internet from inside their minds, and completely alter sensory perceptions (Tedx, 2017). The physicist and author Michio Kaku has suggested that the development of this kind of technology will provide nearly unimaginable benefits to individuals and societies (2014). Indeed, it is difficult to imagine just how much further development will do to solve some of humankind s most difficult and fundamental problems. Although these technologies may provide human beings powerful economic, social, and health benefits, it is difficult to overstate the significance of the potential risks. Certainly, not all experts agree that BCI research will be solely beneficial. The Morningside group, a coalition of neuroscientists, clinicians, and ethicists, articulated these concerns in 2016 when they claimed that the current ethical codes surrounding the development of technology are no longer adequate for the pace of development of BCI (Yuste et al., 2017). In fact, some scholars have argued that an entirely new set of human rights should be added to the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. For example, neuro ethicists and human rights lawyers have suggested human rights that assert what they call cognitive liberty, mental privacy, mental integrity, and psychological continuity

4 (Sample, 2017). As BCI s become more accessible, vulnerabilities increase. The ability to commercially read and modify human neural code in living subjects opens the doors towards hackers. For example, even commonly used technologies like Deep Brain Stimulation (a device used to prevent tremors in patients with severe Parkinson s disease) can be used to induce mania, hyper sexuality, strong sensations of fear and panic, and even pathological gambling (Sample, 2017). It is nearly impossible to state the damage that can be done if this technology is remotely accessed by bad actors. As brain computer connections become more widespread, these risks will become more pressing. Thus, there is substantial need for the international community to propose protections and regulations that minimize the potential harms associated with powerful technology. Furthermore, BCI research not only poses risks to individual human rights, but it may also cause harm to collective interests as well. For example, transcranial direct current stimulation has been reliably used to improve performance of military personnel in the field (Sample, 2017). In the future, further human augmentation may spark an arms race for super intelligent personnel in military conflicts. This may allow nation states with powerful resources to more effectively oppress nation states with fewer resources to respond in accord. In particular, hacking the mind of important individuals at select moments could offer a new avenue to commit acts of terrorism at unprecedented scales. These are only a small sampling of the potential risks that those who develop BCI technology and those who specify regulations governing this research should consider. The United Nations must play an important role in specifying the limits, rules, codes, and ethics that guide the way member states utilize these technologies. Just as the United Nations has created treaties to limit the spread of nuclear weapons, the United Nations must also contend with the potential of BCI s to be used for nefarious purposes.

5 Although modern BCI technology relies on a currently limited understanding of the human brain, further research will unlock potential futures that this commission and the global community cannot afford to ignore.

6 Committee Background The Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) is a subsidiary of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Established in 1992, this committee was designed to provide high-level policy advice to the ECOSOC as well as the General Assembly of the United Nations. This commission examines questions related to science and technology and their implications for development. The commission also advances understanding about policy issues concerning emerging technologies and proposes guidelines and recommendations for matters related to science and technology in the United Nations (UNCTAD). Broadly speaking, this committee focuses on areas including investment, international finance, e-commerce, trade, innovation, and emerging technologies (UNCTAD). In particular, the commission places a strong emphasis on the relevance of science and technology in meeting Sustainable Development Goals (UNCTAD). This committee lacks the power to condemn or demand things of specific countries and organizations. Rather, this commission possesses the power to offer recommendations and guidelines as well as policy proposals to the ECOSOC and the General Assembly. Consequently, it is not the responsibility of the CSTD to implement any of its policy proposals or recommendations.

7 United Nations Involvement Since sophisticated BCI s are a relatively new technology, the U.N. has made almost no attempts to address the potential security and safety concerns these technologies pose. This lack of response has been noted by scholars in the field. In 2013, the 2045 Global Future Congress penned an open letter to the former Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, urging the United Nations to take the development of BCI s and their revolutionary implications seriously (Iskov). However, the United Nations provided no response, since the technology underlying these changes still remains in its infancy. It will be crucial to consider this reality when proposals and recommendations are adopted by the United Nations. Indeed, one challenge this committee will face is communicating the urgent need for early action before significant damages are done. As representatives of nation states, delegates are expected to consider the consequences these technologies will have on their societies and the potential consequences of proposals the international community may adopt. In preparation, carefully consider the cost and benefits this research currently poses and may yet pose for the individual states represented in the committee, as well as the global community. The work that delegates do in this committee must not take these risks for granted. Finally, the earlier that the United Nations begins involvement, the more tools the international community will have to shape the world s future in a direction that allows the ideals expressed by the creed of the United Nations to become and remain a reality.

8 Questions to Consider/Places to Start 1. Should a new set of human rights be adopted that address the risks of BCI s to mental and psychological integrity and stability? 2. If so, what should these human rights consist of? 3. What specific kinds of regulations should the international community adopt to prevent abuse of BCI by member states with powerful resources? 4. How might these technologies be used to help the international community meet the Sustainable Development goals, and how might they be used to prevent that from happening? 5. Does the United Nations need to adopt new definitions of privacy as our minds become increasingly integrated with computers? In addition to these questions, there are several links below that offer follow up resources to use when you do research on this topic. I strongly recommend that you utilize these resources in preparation for this conference. This video provides a basic introduction to what BCI technology is and how it can work. This is a more in-depth lecture about BCI technology and the possible ethical and social implications of future development. This link provides a short summary of where BCI research currently is and some possible future directions. brain-computer-interfaces-sound-stuff-science-fiction-andrew-palmer Entrepreneur Steve Hoffman offers a glimpse of the radical possibilities that future BCI research may one day produce.

9 Works Cited Brain Computer-Interfaces: 10 startups to watch. Nanalyze, Nanalyze Investment Forum, 5 Feb. 2017, Hassanien, Aboul E, and Ahmed T Azar. Brain-Computer Interfaces: Current Trends and Applications. Vol. 74, Springer International Publishing, 2015, link-springercom.ccmain.ohionet.org/book/ %2f Talks, Tedx. New Brain Computer interface technology Steve Hoffman TEDxCEIBS. Youtube, Commentary by Steve Hoffman 29 August Iskov, Dmitry, et al. OPEN LETTER TO UN SECRETARY-GENERAL BAN KI-MOON. Received by Secretary General Ban-ki Moon, GF2045, Global Future Congress of 2045, 12 Mar. 2013, gf2045.com/read/208/. Kaku, Michio. The Future of the Mind: the scientific quest to understand, enhance, and empower the mind. 1st ed., Doubleday, Lazarou, Loulietta, et al. EEG-Based Brain Computer Interfaces for Communication and Rehabilitation of People with Motor Impairment: A Novel Approach of the 21st Century. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 12, no. 14, Jan. 2018, doi: /fnhum Mandate and Institutional Background. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD, unctad.org/en/pages/cstd/cstd-mandate.aspx. Palmer, Andrew. How Brains and Machines can be made to work together. The Economist, 6 Jan. 2018, brain-computer-interfaces-sound-stuff-science-fiction-andrew-palmer.

10 Ra, Frank. Brain Computer Interfaces: BCI Technology. YouTube Lecture by Martha J Farrah, 25 Feb. 2012, Sample, Ian. New human rights to protect against 'mind hacking' and brain data theft proposed. The Guardian, 26 Apr. 2017, Shih, Jerry J, et al. Brain-Computer Interfaces in Medicine. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, vol. 87, no. 3, Mar. 2012, pp , doi: /j.mayocp Sorrel, Charlie. Brainjacking, Or How Hackers Can Remote Control Your Medical Implants. FastCompany, 29 June 2016, Yuste, Rafael, et al. Four ethical priorities for neurotechnologies and AI. Nature, vol. 551, 8 Nov. 2017, pp , doi: /551159a.