The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has expressed concern about the rapid progress of neurotechnology, accelerated by artificial intelligence, and its potential threat to human rights and mental privacy.

The organization addressed the concerns at the International Conference on Ethics of Neurotechnology held at its headquarters in Paris on July 13, 2023.

"We must safeguard ethical standards and ensure the full protection of human rights," said António Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations.

At the conference, participants agreed on the need for a comprehensive governance framework to harness the potential of neurotechnology and address the risks it presents to societies. Speakers also expressed their support for the development of a global normative instrument and ethical framework similar to UNESCO's recommendation on the ethics of artificial intelligence.

Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO's assistant director-general for social and human sciences, acknowledged the developments in neurotechnology.

"But we should remain aware of its negative impact if it is employed for malicious purposes," she said. "That is why we must act now to ensure it is not misused and does not threaten our societies and democracies."

The meeting convened ahead of the first meeting on the potential threats of artificial intelligence (AI) to international peace and security held by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in New York on Tuesday.