Will brain computer interfaces be widespread in the future?

People are investing more time and money in personal technology, such as smart speakers, smart watches, wearables, VR headsets. The pandemic has accelerated our adoption of new technology and increased our reliance on it for social, entertaining, and educational experiences. As we spend more and more time at home, many of us are turning to technology to augment our reality. Wearables – such as smart earbuds, lenses, watches, rings, bracelets, and even fabrics – place biodata, audio interactions, and visual information above our life experiences. As wearable technology becomes commonplace in our daily lives, our connection to the following areas will be even closer to the rise of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).

Brain-computer interfaces can be connected to the human brain from the inside or outside. They read brain activity and process it into information, which can also be transmitted back to the brain. The potential for BCI to amplify human intelligence to superhuman levels excites technologists and entrepreneurs, but also evades the question: Are we, our businesses, and our technology systems ready for this change?

Brain-computer interfaces are divided into two categories: invasive and non-invasive. Invasive BCI is implanted in the brain and tiny electrodes are attached to neurons to measure their activity. Invasive BCI, such as neural linking, requires brain surgery – doctors drill holes in the skull to implant the device, and high-precision surgical robots attach microscopic electrodes to neurons correctly. Invasive brain-computer interfaces can capture better data and can be implanted in various areas of the brain. Invasive BCI is effective in managing spinal cord injury, controlling prosthesis, and**depression in the following areas: Non-invasive BCI does not require surgery and instead relies on an electroencephalogram (EEG) and noisy signals from an infrared device worn over the head. Artificial intelligence is used to isolate brain signals captured by BCI devices, as well as synthesize the signals back into the brain.

BCI has brought incredible advancements in the field of medicine and is largely funded by the Department of Defense through DARPA. DARPA's Brain Project is working on an impressive array of BCI projects designed to help the body heal itself, recover sensory loss caused by injury, and increase Selective Service members by allowing them to operate drones, communicate silently, and integrate into defense systems. Companies like Core Quantum Neuro, NeuroSky and Emotiv are rapidly moving to widely available devices and less invasive BCI methods. These companies are working to measure and evaluate brain activity for a variety of purposes, from playing games to reducing stress by thinking about typing words. The Goddess Muse of Si Wen Yi and ** Fine Arts is a commercial device that uses an electroencephalogram to record and display brain data as a meditation aid. Ping's Facebook has been developing a BCI implant that reads brain activity and is able to decipher a basic set of words.

Lately, there's been a lot of hype all over the place to nerve link Elon Musk's BCI startup. Neural Link shows how their implanted brain device reads and writes information to the pig's brain in late August. Many neurologists downplayed the company's presentation in the context of advancing neuroscience. While the electrode technology on display is advanced, there is little discussion about how the company will understand brain activity. One of the main goals of the demo is to attract talent to NeuraLink and increase interest in BCI to advance neuroscience and hardware. Musk promised that Neuralink will begin human trials by the end of 2020, targeting people with severe neurological diseases.

In the distant future, if brain-computer interfaces can successfully read and write information to the brain, and if humans can adapt to this technology, we may experience some very amazing scenarios. Imagine having a telepathic conversation with a loved one, gaining superhuman computing power in an instant, replaying memories and dreams, or immersing yourself and all your senses in a virtual entertainment experience. These scenarios are currently impacting the work of researchers, technologists, and futurists. In her book Artificial You, researcher and futurist Susan Schneider envisions the "Center for Thinking Design" as follows:

"Hive Thinking" is a brain chip that allows you to experience the innermost thoughts of your loved ones. The "Zen Garden" is a microchip of a Zen master-level meditative state. The "Human Calculator" gives you scholar-level mathematical abilities. If so, what would you choose?Increased concentration?Mozart-level ** ability?You can order a single enhancement or a combination of several enhancements. "

"Let's call it holocrystal memory, which can store billions of bytes of data, which means it could be equivalent to three lifetimes. That's what it means to be billions of bytes of data – in real time for your entire life**. Not for others to see it, but for your smart amplifier to interpret it. As a result, it can create an environment that will allow you to become a stronger, smarter you from the moment you are born. ”

* What will happen in the future is impossible. As is the case with modern technology today, we can be sure that as BCI and humanity evolve, we will continue to work on philosophical issues. Those currently working in space have discussed the impact of BCIs and how they can help and hinder humanity. The more intimate the technology becomes, the bigger the unresolved issues of privacy, security, and closed ecosystems become.

Wearables and brain-computer interfaces provide users with access to a wealth of information, but at the same time, they also collect a lot of biometrics and personal data from those users. These devices use the same artificial intelligence (AI) to augment human intelligence, which is used by companies to make sense of all the data obtained. As companies use this technology to automate more decisions, AI bias will become a bigger problem.

Companies developing AI strategies should seek talent from marginalized groups to develop data management processes and try to eliminate AI bias. For companies that don't currently have an AI strategy in place, it's important to start thinking about how AI can impact your industry. Today, most AI is fairly intangible, and many people are surprised to learn how far AI can be used in things like selecting mortgage borrowers, regulating traffic flows, and transactions**. Imagine a future where we are able to be aware of and control the decisions that AI makes for us, so we can understand why those decisions are made.

If our personal technology continues to require an internet connection, we will face significant security trade-offs, as any internet-connected device has the potential to be exploited by hackers. Companies need to overthink their approach to digital security, as exploited BCI can cost some people their lives. Users want more transparency and control – personal AI can be used to help users monitor and manage their own security.

Large companies that create and operate AI platforms and devices are already collecting, analyzing, and **our personal data. If BCI is implemented and the data captured becomes more and more private, will these companies continue to have unfettered access to our data?How will we be further utilized?Our society is becoming more aware of and wary of excessive privacy.

Companies should have strict digital security measures in place and evaluate their privacy practices when considering the future. We should all push for stricter privacy regulations – especially since the tech giants are already struggling with our personal data for advertising and profit. We should envision a future where the widespread use of brain-computer connectivity becomes a reality, and take steps now to ensure the safety and privacy of our brains.

The gap in technological wealth between rich and poor is widening. As wearables and brain-computer interfaces become more prevalent in workplaces, schools, and our daily lives, they could further widen the gap by creating large numbers of technologically poor people. Bastian Tron of Stanford University once said, "Nobody says that, but I think AI is pretty much a humanities discipline." It's really an attempt to understand human intelligence and human cognition. ”

We need to take a deeper look at the future of personal computing to imagine how humans and machines will converge and the impact it will have on society. Companies should pay more attention to the so-called "soft skills" of psychology, sociology, and anthropology to understand the impact of technology on users. Technologists must move from a "move fast, break the mold" mindset to a more thoughtful approach to studying how the technology created impacts users and society. It is our responsibility to shape a future in which humanity is a priority, not an afterthought.

We are on the verge of major societal changes driven by issues such as the pandemic, climate change, and a strained global economy. In these uncertain times, many people see technologies such as wearables and brain-computer interfaces as beacons of hope. While it's wonderful to imagine a future that uses technological advancements to solve many of society's current problems, it's our responsibility to make sure we're prepared. Let's approach our future and new technologies with hope and thoughtfulness.

*: Brain-computer network.