Itwas only recently that Elon Musk’s futuristic technology company Neuralink announced the next phase of its brain-computer interface. However, the process is invasive as it involves the implanting of threads into a human brain. You can read the details about it in my recent Tech Diaries edition. The social media giant, Facebook, is now working on a similar device with the capability of turning brain activity into speech.

According to the Facebook blog, the BCI program was originally announced in 2017 where a non-invasive wearable device would let people type by simply imagining themselves talking. The collaborative effort was funded by FB and supported by a team of researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).

These researchers have already been helping people with neurological damage to speak by detecting intended speech from brain activity. It’s two years later and the results of the research have just been published in Nature Communication. The process involves high-density electrocorticography (ECoG), implanting sensors on your brain to record neural activity.

Primarily, this futuristic technology will have important medical applications, especially using it to help people who have speaking disabilities, but FB is expecting to use the BCI for broader use — like typing, clicking through dialog boxes and a host of other Augmented & Virtual Reality applications. Facebook has pledged to govern this research by an Ethics Board to keep the credibility of the project.

I have always been a little skeptical regarding the ulterior motives of these big tech companies investing in breakthrough technology like the brain-reading device. The intention might be noble but in the end, it comes down to how can it be used to monetize for them?

In the case of Facebook, the biggest share of revenue (98.5%) comes from advertising and considering the fact that FB hasn’t ruled out using this brain-reading device for advertising sometime in the future, that might be the intended purpose.

Of course, with technology pushing the boundaries of innovation, there is always an ethical side to consider with the possibilities these open up for the future. Privacy of human emotions, feelings & thoughts might become susceptible to brain-hacking by nefarious players. Are you comfortable with the use of this tech-enabled telepathy?

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