RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

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News | Jan. 26, 2026

AI-powered military neurotech: Mind enhancement or control?

By Aliya Sternstein Military Times

The article “AI‑powered military neurotech: Mind enhancement or control?” in Military Times explores how rapid advancements in AI‑enhanced neurotechnology, especially brain‑computer interfaces and cognitive monitoring tools, are enabling unprecedented capabilities to track, interpret, and potentially alter warfighters’ mental states. It emphasizes key concerns among scientists and neuroethicists that the military’s ability to access neural data may soon outpace existing safeguards, raising risks of misuse, privacy violations, and ethical dilemmas surrounding autonomy and control. Building on foundational perspectives from experts like Dr. James Giordano, who has warned that the brain may become a future battlespace and emphasized the ethical, strategic, and governance implications of human‑machine integration in defense contexts, the piece situates these technological developments within broader debates on military innovation, human enhancement, and policy oversight.

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Dr. James Giordano is the Director of the Center for Disruptive Technologies and Future Warfare in the Institute for National Strategic Studies at the National Defense University.