Views on the distribution of consciousness influence ethical judgements toward brain organoids as biological computers: an exploratory study.

Authors

Jonathan Lomax Boyd, Eric Allen Jensen, Aaron Michael Jensen, Nethanel Lipshitz

Published in

Neuroscience of consciousness. Volume 2026. Issue 1. Pages niag023. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

Biological computers, or 'biocomputers', are being engineered with brain organoids integrated with in silico hardware and software components. This technology promises to advance our mechanistic understanding of cognitive processes by embodying in vitro neural systems within virtual learning environments. Yet, biocomputers raise ethical and moral questions, such as whether evidence of consciousness indicates that embodied neural systems have moral status. To better understand the relationship between signs of consciousness and ethical concerns, we conducted an exploratory study to investigate public views toward biocomputers. We examined whether the public's tendency to attribute consciousness to human and non-human entities guides moral reasoning about biocomputers. We discovered a latent structure underlying public views on the distribution of consciousness. Specifically, we identified three cluster groups, characterized by opinions on the scope of consciousness. These cluster groups were highly predictive of views toward the cognitive capacities and moral status of biocomputers. Respondents in our sample exhibited strong support for research on and creation of biocomputers, and for some, support increased as biocomputers were perceived to be more conscious-a relationship that appears to conflict with conventional reasoning in moral philosophy. Future studies will help determine the prevalence of these views among stakeholders and demographically representative publics at local, national, and global scales whose ethical judgements will inform regulation, oversight, and governance of engineered neural systems.

PMID:
42422726
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

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