U.S.-China Rivalry Intensifies Over Brain Implants and BCIs

According to Axios, brain implants and brain-computer interfaces are emerging as a new flashpoint in the U.S.-China rivalry, with a national security analysis warning that Beijing is pulling ahead in manufacturing, data and commercialization. The report, from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, says the gap could affect U.S. military capabilities and future AI model training, and it urges the Food and Drug Administration to create a clearer approval path and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to establish reimbursement for the devices. China’s National Medical Products Administration this spring issued what is believed to be the world’s first commercial approval for a BCI designed to restore hand movement in people with spinal cord injuries, while the commission says U.S. regulatory bottlenecks and funding concerns are slowing development and that new neurological treatments take more than 11 years on average to reach approval.