6.13 Reading and Controlling Minds
119
What are the authors talking about here? My interpretation is that one is considering to put nanoparticles, nanosensors or nanorobots into human cells. This might
happen via food, drinks, the air we breathe, or even a special virus. Such nanostructures—so the idea—would allow one to produce a kind of super-EEG. Rather than
a few dozens of measurement sensors placed on our head, there would be millions
of measurement sensors, which—in perspective—would provide a super-high resolution of brain activities. It might, in principle, be possible to see what someone is
thinking or dreaming about.
However, one might not only be able to measure and copy brain contents. It could
also become possible to stimulate certain brain activity patterns. With the help of
machine learning or AI, one may be able to quickly learn how to do this. Then,
one could trigger something like dreams or illusions. One could perhaps watch TV
without a TV set! To make phone calls, one would not need a smartphone anymore.
One could communicate through “technological telepathy”.
59 For this, someone’s
brain activities would be read, and someone else’s activities would be stimulated.
I agree, this all sounds pretty much like science fiction. However, some labs are
very serious about such research. They actually expect that this or similar kinds
of technology may be available soon.
60 Facebook and Google are just two of the
companies preparing for this business, but there are many others you have never
heard about. Would they soon be able to read and control your mind?
6.14 Neurocapitalism
Perhaps you are not interested in using this kind of technology, but you may not
be asked. I am not sure how you could avoid exposure to the nanostructures and
radiation that would make such applications possible. Therefore, you may not have
much influence on how it will be to live in the data-driven, AI-controlled society of
the future. We may not even notice when the technology is turned on and applied to
us, because our thinking and feeling might change gradually and our minds would
anyway be controlled.
If things happened this way, today’s “surveillance capitalism” would probably be replaced by “neurocapitalism”.
61 The companies of the future would not
59 Is Tech-Boosted Telepathy on Its Way? Forbes (December 4, 2018) https://www.forbes.com/sites/
forbestechcouncil/2018/12/04/is-tech-boosted-telepathy-on-its-way-nine-tech-experts-weigh-in/.
60 https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/07/this-inventor-is-developing-technology-that-could-enabletelepathy.html;
https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/04/22/242999/with-neuralink-elonmusk-promises-human-to-human-telepathy-dont-believe-it/.
61 Brain-reading tech is coming. The law is not ready to protect us. Vox (December 20, 2019),
https://www.vox.com/2019/8/30/20835137/facebook-zuckerberg-elon-musk-brain-mind-readingneuroethics (accessed on July 31, 2020); What Is Neurocapitalism aand Why Are We Living In
It?, Vice (October 18, 2016), https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qkjxaq/what-is-neurocapitalismand-why-are-we-living-in-it (accessed on July 31, 2020); M. Meckel (2018) Mein Kopf gehört
mir: Eine Reise durch die schöne neue Welt des Brainhacking, Piper.
119
What are the authors talking about here? My interpretation is that one is considering to put nanoparticles, nanosensors or nanorobots into human cells. This might
happen via food, drinks, the air we breathe, or even a special virus. Such nanostructures—so the idea—would allow one to produce a kind of super-EEG. Rather than
a few dozens of measurement sensors placed on our head, there would be millions
of measurement sensors, which—in perspective—would provide a super-high resolution of brain activities. It might, in principle, be possible to see what someone is
thinking or dreaming about.
However, one might not only be able to measure and copy brain contents. It could
also become possible to stimulate certain brain activity patterns. With the help of
machine learning or AI, one may be able to quickly learn how to do this. Then,
one could trigger something like dreams or illusions. One could perhaps watch TV
without a TV set! To make phone calls, one would not need a smartphone anymore.
One could communicate through “technological telepathy”.
59 For this, someone’s
brain activities would be read, and someone else’s activities would be stimulated.
I agree, this all sounds pretty much like science fiction. However, some labs are
very serious about such research. They actually expect that this or similar kinds
of technology may be available soon.
60 Facebook and Google are just two of the
companies preparing for this business, but there are many others you have never
heard about. Would they soon be able to read and control your mind?
6.14 Neurocapitalism
Perhaps you are not interested in using this kind of technology, but you may not
be asked. I am not sure how you could avoid exposure to the nanostructures and
radiation that would make such applications possible. Therefore, you may not have
much influence on how it will be to live in the data-driven, AI-controlled society of
the future. We may not even notice when the technology is turned on and applied to
us, because our thinking and feeling might change gradually and our minds would
anyway be controlled.
If things happened this way, today’s “surveillance capitalism” would probably be replaced by “neurocapitalism”.
61 The companies of the future would not
59 Is Tech-Boosted Telepathy on Its Way? Forbes (December 4, 2018) https://www.forbes.com/sites/
forbestechcouncil/2018/12/04/is-tech-boosted-telepathy-on-its-way-nine-tech-experts-weigh-in/.
60 https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/07/this-inventor-is-developing-technology-that-could-enabletelepathy.html;
https://www.technologyreview.com/2017/04/22/242999/with-neuralink-elonmusk-promises-human-to-human-telepathy-dont-believe-it/.
61 Brain-reading tech is coming. The law is not ready to protect us. Vox (December 20, 2019),
https://www.vox.com/2019/8/30/20835137/facebook-zuckerberg-elon-musk-brain-mind-readingneuroethics (accessed on July 31, 2020); What Is Neurocapitalism aand Why Are We Living In
It?, Vice (October 18, 2016), https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qkjxaq/what-is-neurocapitalismand-why-are-we-living-in-it (accessed on July 31, 2020); M. Meckel (2018) Mein Kopf gehört
mir: Eine Reise durch die schöne neue Welt des Brainhacking, Piper.