They don’t know about what’s happening in the field-the advances and how rapidly they’re coming. I think people dismiss it at their peril. There are still meaningful things that you can pick up. But that doesn’t mean that there’s no signal. The signal is distorted by noise-muscle twitches and hair, for example. The hardcore BCI folks who are working on serious implanted to revolutionize and improve health will say … you’re not picking up much real information. ![]() Some consumer products, such as headbands and earbuds that purport to measure your brain activity and induce a sense of calm, for example, have been dismissed as gimmicks by some scientists. All of that simultaneously becomes possible. In a workplace, it could be used for dehumanization of individuals by subjecting them to neurosurveillance. Or trying to identify people who are neuroatypical, and discriminate against or segregate them. That’s a pretty quick and serious misuse of the data. And the problem is that that can happen very quickly.Īn authoritarian government having access to it could use it to try to identify people who don’t show political adherence, for example. The collection or creation of the data isn’t what’s problematic-it’s when the data is used in ways that are harmful to individuals, collectives, or groups. If scientists and researchers have access to that data, it could help them understand brain dysfunction, which could lead to the development of new treatments for neurological disease and mental illness. The relationship we’re going to have with ourselves is going to change. And suddenly that’s in the hands of individuals. ![]() The brain has always been this untouchable and inaccessible area of our bodies. It’s transformational for individuals to have access to their own brain data, in a good way. It could also be shared with any government or employer that might have given you the device. But once you put a device on your head … you’re immediately sharing that data with whoever the device manufacturer is, and whoever is offering the platform. The only person who has access to your brain data right now is you, and it is only analyzed in the internal software of your mind. ![]() It is, I believe, about to become ubiquitous. And there has been significant investment from big tech companies. There have been huge advances in AI that allows us to decode brain activity, and in the miniaturization of electrodes, which to put them into earbuds and headphones. consumer devices are hitting the market this year, and in the next two years. I feel like we’re at an inflection point.
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