Simon’s keynote entitled ‘Neurotechnologically Enabled Urbanism: Fusing Humans in the Loop’ highlighted how a significant yet subtle shift is occurring in how the relationship between humans and urban technological systems is mediated across research, policy, and commercial domains.
Neurotechnology, specifically Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), is creating new forms of interaction between human cognition and digital infrastructures. These invasive and non-invasive interfaces enable direct human-to-human communication, interaction with digital platforms, and control of smart environments, robotics, and autonomous systems. As BCIs transition from research labs to commercial applications, they are being deployed in fields such as medicine, cognitive enhancement, education, workplace brain monitoring, gaming, and even military urban operations. Despite these rapid advancements, urban studies have yet to systematically analyse neurotechnology’s societal and governance implications in the urban context. There is a critical gap in understanding its unintended consequences, potential to reinforce structural inequalities, and challenges regulating its integration into everyday urban life. As a foundational technology with far-reaching implications, neurotechnology demands greater critical scrutiny to ensure responsible development and deployment.
Simon’s talk explored the emerging landscape of neurotechnology, considering their capacity to reshape urban interactions, governance, and public policy. Simon argued that proactive engagement is needed to assess how these systems may enable and constrain different forms of urban life while identifying key societal concerns that require ongoing monitoring and critical evaluation as these technologies become embedded in the urban fabric and human brain.