The Guardian reported in late 2021 that Synchron, a US/Australian neurotechnology company, had “successfully trialled hi-tech brain implants that allow individuals to send emails and texts purely by thought”; an invention designed to open up the lives of those living with quadriplegia(1).

The technology delivers electrical stimulation to nerves in the brain without open surgery (stimulating the brain from within blood vessels) to restore, treat, and map the electrical activities of the brain. This device, and others like it, are taking us into uncharted areas of data exploration and use.

Just as we are grappling with the challenges presented by AI, neurotechnology is gathering pace alongside it, bringing with it a host of privacy related questions and issues.