Surgical Neurotechnology X Social Embeddedness

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Double Movement Dynamics of iBCI Commercial Marketization: implantable brain computer interfaces (iBCI) have strong clinical promise––what's keeping the from FDA-approved commercialization?

TITLE: Intersectionalities between Neurotechnology and Social Embeddedness: Exploring Polanyi's Double Movement in the Implantable Brain-Computer Interface Market

Problem:
The rapid advancement of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) at the intersection of neurotechnology and AI brings both promise and ethical questions. With these technologies often without full transparency, their societal impact has raised concerns over autonomy, privacy, and the commodification of cognitive processes and identity, aligning with the growing debates in AI ethics.

Background:
This paper contextualizes BCI technology within Karl Polanyi's "double movement" framework, where market expansion meets protective social forces, creating a dynamic that reveals tensions between economic drive and social well-being. Polanyi's concepts of market expansion and social embeddedness serve as lenses to examine the dialectical pressures facing the BCI sector, including growing social and ethical demands for regulation. The recent Morgan Stanley report on BCIs anticipates a substantial but gradual growth, with market projections reaching $17.1 billion by 2026 and addressing health challenges from stroke and epilepsy to neurological conditions like ALS. This expansion coexists with ethical needs to balance innovation with social protections.

Argumentation:
Employing interdisciplinary methods, this paper examines how Polanyi’s model applies to the neurotechnology landscape. The double movement offers a framework to analyze the pressures of a largely laissez-faire BCI market in contrast to society's demand for protective measures. Social embeddedness, as it relates to BCIs, emphasizes that economic activities do not exist in a vacuum but rather intertwine with societal norms and ethical considerations. This paper analyzes current market dynamics, examining both the push for unregulated innovation and the growing calls for protective regulations that prioritize human dignity and public welfare.

Conclusions:
Theoretical findings suggest that while BCI technology shows transformative potential, an unregulated market risks neglecting critical ethical and societal issues, including user autonomy and cognitive integrity. We argue for policies that recognize the socially embedded nature of BCI technology, aiming to harmonize its development with broader societal values. Such policies could promote a more balanced adoption, reducing potential harm and promoting trust in neurotechnology innovations.

Importance:
By grounding neurotechnology within a framework accounting for both economic and social dynamics, this research highlights the importance of proactive, socially conscious governance in emerging tech fields. It urges stakeholders across disciplines to address not only the technical but also the ethical dimensions of BCIs, thus contributing to a neuroethics discourse that aligns technological advancements with human-centered values.