🧠Mind Reading Tech: The Future or a Nightmare?
A future of mind readers is now a reality. Will they use this power for good or will they unleash unimaginable evil on the world? (Reading time: 3 mins)
Imagine this: It is a lazy Sunday afternoon, you're watching Netflix on your TV and you want to switch shows.
But the remote is close to the TV and you cannot be bothered to get up and get it.
Sounds familiar?
Well, what if you could change the channel using just your brain?
No, we're not suggesting that you develop telekinetic powers.
We're talking about mind-reading tech.
Yes, technology can now do what psychics and your partners have pretended they can do: read your mind.
How Tech Can Read Minds
Every time we think, our brain fires multiple electric signals.Â
We already could analyse some of these signals thanks to EEGs.
But now machines can not only analyse them but decode and interpret them.Â
So, when you think about moving your hand the brain signals are decoded by the machine. They are then communicated to another machine that does the job you wanted to do.
The systems that can achieve this are called brain computer interface (BCI) or brain machine interface (BMI).
Now, because our neural signals are so fast and noisy, for years we could only do menial tasks through BCIs, like moving a cursor.
But now thanks to deep learning, an AI technique that can mimic our brain's ability to learn from experience, we have advanced a lot in the mind-reading department. This will immensely benefit people who are disabled or paralysed and cannot communicate with us.
In fact, several startups have come up with different mind-reading propositions to make our lives easier.
We've all heard of at least one of these startups: Elon Musk's Neuralink.
However, it involves inserting electrodes in your brain, which may put off a lot of people.
But don't worry, other startups have found better ways to read your mind.
BrainCo: BrainCo has developed AI-based prosthetics that can help amputees perform basic functions. The prosthetic device interprets muscle signals sent by the brain to the amputated part and then performs the task that the amputee wants. And it is not just restricted to basic tasks like shaking hands or eating. It can also allow you to play the piano, write calligraphy and more.
Kernel: Ever had that one tune stuck in your head that you can't place? Well, Kernel's Sound ID may be the solution to your problem. The company decodes what song you are thinking of and plays that for you. It also has another interface that allows people to spell out words by just looking at the letters on a virtual keyboard. This could help those who are unable to move their bodies or speak, communicate with us easily.
Neurable: Neurable is taking the song-listening experience a step further. It aims to create headphones that can detect when you want to stop, start and skip a song. Plus, the headphones will also be able to detect your mood and create a custom playlist for you.Â
Zoolingua: All the pet lovers reading this have wanted to understand what their pet is thinking. Well, Zoolingua is working towards doing exactly that.
Sounds interesting, no? And all of these startups only need wearables like headbands or wristbands to work.
But why are we talking about brain-reading tech?
A Privacy Nightmare
Because Snap (or Snapchat) just acquired a brain-reading startup called NextMind. NextMind also has a wearable device that can help you skip TV channels or scroll on the internet by just using your brain.
Snap wants to integrate this tech with its AR glasses so you can surf the internet on the go just by using your brain and the glasses. Imagine how beautifully this tech could play out in the metaverse.
But, it isn’t as rosy as it seems.Â
It will cost us our privacy.
Already companies like Instagram, Facebook and Amazon seem to be reading our minds.
You just have to think about a product and it magically appears on your feed the next day.
What if they actually got their hands on brain-reading tech?
Most of our current data privacy laws are not equipped to deal with the situation and framing one will be very tricky.
China has already deployed emotion-recognition cameras and brain-reading tech to understand if people are happy and productive.
But soon, just like facial recognition tech, this could become a way to identify and punish those with opposing views.
Brain-reading tech could very well lead us to a productivity utopia or a constant surveillance dystopia.
Now, it is up to humankind how we use it.
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