Tech News · Aliya Sternstein

Mind, Machine, Mission with Aliya Sternstein

by Aliya Sternstein

Today's episode: Investigative Reporter Aliya Sternstein, J.D., interviews neuroethicist and Pentagon special advisor Dr. James Giordano to examine cutting-edge developments in AI-powered military neurotechnology. The views and opinions expressed by Giordano are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States government. Key Topics: Introduction to AI-powered military neurotechnology and its implicationsBig data and AI enable real-time interpretation and modulation of brain activityEthical, legal, and consent issues in neuroenhancementChina, global competition, and neurosecurity threatsWeaponization of neural data and targeted neuroprofilingConsumer neurotechnologies and national security risksThe threat of foreign deployment of neuroweapons and directed energy attacks Related Readings: Giordano, J., & Schmidle, R. (2026, August 24). Cognitive Warfare and the Brain-as-Battlespace: Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, and the Emerging Domain of Neurostrategic Competition. Institute for National Strategic Studies. Sternstein, A. (2026, January 22). AI-powered military neurotech: Mind enhancement or control? Military Times. Annett, E. G., Shook, J. R., & Giordano, J. (2025). Super soldiers or social burden? Ethical exploration of the benefits and costs of military bioenhancement. AJOB Neuroscience, 16(4), 212–221. Host: Aliya Sternstein, J.D., has reported on technology, neuroscience, and national security over nearly 25 years for, among other outlets, Atlantic Media, Congressional Quarterly, Daily Beast, and Forbes Magazine. She is also a research analyst at Georgetown Law, where, in a separate life, she helps prospective public interest lawyers afford career and life. Her writing on the intersection of public health and constitutional rights has appeared in the Stanford Law Review, Arizona Law Review, and other law and health academic journals. Sternstein obtained a B.A. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and a J.D. from Georgetown Law. Guest: Dr. James Giordano is the head of the National Defense University's Center for Strategic Deterrence and Weapons of Mass Destruction and Georgetown University Medical Center’s former chief of neuroethics studies. He previously served as the senior bioethicist of the Defense Medical Ethics Center and as an appointed member of the Neuroethics, Legal and Social Advisory Panel of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Giordano received a Ph.D. in biopsychology from the City University of New York, a Master of Arts in neuropsychology from Norwich University, and a B.sc. in physiological psychology from St. Peter’s College; completed post-doctoral training in neuropathology and toxicology at the Johns Hopkins University Medical Center, and is currently completing a D.Phil. in political philosophy of science at the East Bavaria Technical University-Regensburg, Germany.