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Brain implants could give governments and businesses the power to read your mind

2019-09-10T22:37:28.096Z


Neural interfaces (devices implanted internally or used externally that can record or stimulate brain activity) may be exposed to abuse as it becomes…


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London (CNN) - Telepathy is a thing of science fiction movies, not real-life interaction. Right?

In the future, all that could change, according to scientists in Britain.

People could "become telepathic to some extent," thanks to the neural interface technologies that are being developed, according to the Royal Society, the Academy of Sciences of the United Kingdom.

But he warned that neural interfaces (devices implanted internally or used externally that can record or stimulate brain activity) could be exposed to abuse as they become more sophisticated.

Neural implants and external interfaces are already licensed in the medical world and are being used to treat medical conditions, from strokes to epilepsy.

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But technology companies are taking action, and the Royal Society says that governments must act quickly to set some ethical limits.

Earlier this year, technology billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk said his company, Neuralink, planned to start human testing in 2020 with ultra-thin electrodes. They would be inserted into the brain to help people with cloistered or paralysis syndrome communicate through a computer or a telephone.

Meanwhile, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has shown interest in the "telepathic click."

The social media company is supporting research on the creation of headphones capable of transcribing a vocabulary of 1,000 words, at a rate of 100 words per minute, just for thinking.

READ : Facebook is about to let you write with your mind

"You can think of something and your friends can also experience it immediately if you wish," Zuckerberg said in 2015. "This would be the best communication technology."

In a report entitled "iHuman: blurred lines between the mind and the machine," the Royal Society says that these new technologies bring exciting possibilities and risks.

Neural interfaces offer a new frontier to treat conditions such as dementia, paralysis, mental health conditions or obesity, according to the report.

Mark Zuckerberg has shown interest in "telepathic click."

Dr. Tim Constandinou, director of the Next Generation Neuronal Interfaces Laboratory (NGNI) at Imperial College London and co-director of the report, said in a press release: “By 2040 neuronal interfaces are likely to be an established option for allow people to walk after paralysis and address treatment-resistant depression, they may even have made Alzheimer's disease treatment a reality. ”

But they could also be misused by corporations and governments, with access to neural and shared data.

Neural interfaces “pose new risks: the risks of moods or thoughts that are accessed by companies, governments or others; risks to privacy and human rights; and the risks of increasing social inequalities, ”says the report.

They could even change the very nature of what it means to be human, he says.

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The Royal Society is urging the Government of the United Kingdom to initiate a national investigation into neuronal interface technologies and how they should be addressed.

"While advances such as fluid communication between the brain and the computer seem a much more distant possibility, we must now act to ensure that our ethical and regulatory guarantees are flexible enough for any future development," Constandinou said.

"In this way we can guarantee that these emerging technologies are implemented safely and for the benefit of humanity," he added.

Another co-director of the report, Christofer Toumazou of Imperial College London, said in the statement that the technology was as "unimaginable" as smartphones were a few decades ago.

“They could bring huge economic benefits to the United Kingdom and transform sectors such as the National Health Service, public health and social assistance, but if a handful of companies dictate the evolution, then less commercial applications could be set aside,” said Toumazou .

As with so many technological advances, this new frontier has the potential to help and belittle humanity. Unfortunately, even mental reading cannot help us predict which direction it will go.

Implant

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2019-09-10

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