US Strategy Includes Neural Interfaces Among Future Computing Technologies

US Strategy Includes Neural Interfaces Among Future Computing Technologies

On August 17, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy published the US national security science and technology strategy. Appendix A explicitly classifies neural interfaces as future computing technologies.

A neural interface reads signals from the brain and converts them into commands for a device, or transmits signals back to the brain. These systems can control a cursor, speech synthesizer, or prosthesis. In the strategy's appendix, neural interfaces appear alongside other emerging types of computing systems.

In the 2024 federal list of critical and emerging technologies, neurotechnologies appeared within the broader category of human-machine interfaces, together with augmented and virtual reality. The document described the list as a reference that federal agencies could use when developing technology and defense initiatives.

The new strategy connects this classification to agency action. The relevant agencies must address the listed fields separately in their own research and development and direct their applications toward national security needs. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Security Council will coordinate more detailed strategies or plans for these fields.

Future plans must define the strategy's objectives for each technology more precisely and take competitors' actions into account. The separate listing of neural interfaces among future computing technologies therefore connects directly to agency work and subsequent planning.