Views on the distribution of consciousness influence ethical judgements toward brain organoids as biological computers: an exploratory study.
Neuroscience of consciousness January 1, 2026 Jonathan Lomax Boyd, Eric Allen Jensen, Aaron Michael Jensen et al.
Public views on biocomputers—biological computers built with brain organoids—were explored in an online survey. Most respondents supported research on and creation of biocomputers, and for some, support increased as the devices were perceived to be more conscious, a pattern that conflicts with standard moral philosophy. Three distinct clusters of opinion emerged regarding the scope of consciousness in human and non-human entities, and these clusters strongly predicted views on the cognitive capacities and moral status of biocomputers. The findings suggest that public ethical reasoning about engineered neural systems may not follow conventional philosophical frameworks, highlighting the need for broader stakeholder engagement to inform governance.