It gets scary: AI can read minds – under certain conditions

If you boil down the achievement of two University of Austin scientists to a few words, you could headline:

Five words that make you feel uncomfortable. But it’s not that simple (yet).

Jerry Tang and Alex Huth, a computer science graduate student and assistant professor of computer science and neuroscience, have even managed to convert the brain activity of various subjects into text. An accompanying article was published in “Nature Neuroscience” in early May. However, the system only works under certain conditions. And these are quite extensive:

On the other hand, correct interpretations cannot be achieved with people who…

So the reassuring news is: no artificial intelligence can absorb our thoughts yet. No harm can be done with this technology yet: “We are well aware of the dangers of misuse,” Tang told the University of Austin media service. “We want to make sure that this kind of technology only works with the consent of the people involved.”

The groundbreaking feature of the new model from the University of Texas is that the brain wave receptors do not need to be surgically implanted in the subject’s head beforehand. And that longer texts can be captured – not just single words or sentences.

There are a few possible areas of application. For example, as a “mouthpiece” for people with locked-in syndrome. Detained persons are mentally healthy, but cannot speak or move due to physical limitations. However, according to the study authors, there is still a long way to go before it can be used in practice.