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TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE: Brain-Computer Interface Development
La Brujula Guía de Ocio y Cultura
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La Brujula Guía de Ocio y Cultura

TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE: Brain-Computer Interface Development

Hello, today I’ve found a new collaboration with this marvellous magazine LA BRUJULA. When Javi and Berta proposed to me to collaborate with them I told them I would be pleased to do it. It was a perfect moment to express the news of the digital and technological world in a soft way to the public. I called this section “Talking about the future”. I think this title has programmed obsolescence, so it will work now as it did in 10 years. I hope you like it.

I think a simple way to start will be presenting a concept, even if it’s developed or it’s still in a prototype phase. And to explain what it is, what is new about it and to conclude with a consideration which talks about the future, which is being diffused in the present. This is the process called DIGITALISATION.

The amazing project which I want to show you in this first article is NEURALINK, an north-american Enterprise specialises in brain-computer interface development, implants knows as Brain-Machine Interfaces or BMI, founded by Elon Musk. Currently they are developing a new dispositive capable of treating disabilities of damaged brain patients. Musk declared that the technologies of Neuralink tries to find in a long term period a total symbiosis with an AI. The Enterprise is in a experimental phase using animals in association with the University of California

Neuralink’s main objective in a short period of time is to create brain-computer interfaces which will treat some kinds of diseases caused by neurological disorders. These interfaces have the potential of helping people which suffers from clinic disorders. Investigators revealed the use of these interfaces make some patients capable of controlling arrow keys, robotic prosthesis and talking synths which reveals a potential use for medical purposes and to treat patients with disabilities and to improve their living standards.But in a long term period as the company revealed they planned to release brain-computer interfaces available for the public in general in every part of our daily life, similar to smartphones or laptops.

Musk has revealed his own thoughts about IA. He thinks it is risky for human beings due to its capacity of exceeding our own human abilities. For him, the best solution to this dilemma is to develop IA external systems to achieve the symbiosis between human and IA. Which will be made by adding a layer of artificial intelligence over the brain cortex system developed by Neuralink. Musk’s interest in those interfaces are based on the fiction novel “Neural Lace” he read in the book saga The Culture, written by Ian Banks.

VIDEO: Neuralink. Presentación de avances en el proyecto, junio de 2020.

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Successful or not, it seems this project will achieve communication with computers through the thinking process. Facebook left this project a long time ago, but the resurgence of companies like Neuralink may make this reality possible.

In my humble opinión, this goal will take a long period of time to get a fluid communication between the thoughts and the interfaces. It’s more important to develop better ways to comunícate with voice patrons. Maybe in the near future and knowing better how our brains work, we will achieve Musk’s dream: a hybrid society where the only action of thinking will be enough to comunícate to the IA. From this point and after fusioning to this machines there will be a question: Would we continue to be ourselves?

Thanks and see you soon.

Pedro Mujica.