Neurotechnology: Connecting Brains and Computers

In his most recent (and controversial) interview, Elon Musk not only took a drag of a cigarette laced with marijuana (consequently plummeting Tesla’s stock price), the chairman and chief executive officer of Tesla briefly touched upon linking brains and computers. Although one could argue that this idea might have been put forward due to the aforementioned cigarette, Musk stated on multiple occasions that a ‘merger of biological intelligence and machine intelligence’ would be necessary to remain relevant in an age of artificial intelligence. Musk’s fascination with ‘neurotechnology’ stems from his desire to increase efficiency in every facet of his life. Ultimately, Musk wants to ‘directly tap into the brain, bypassing (inefficient) mechanisms including speaking and texting’.

Musk is not the only tech guru in Silicon Valley abuzz with neurotechnology. Bryan Jonhson, the chief executive officer of Kernel, believes ‘neural lacing’ is the future. In simpler words, the American entrepreneur wants to enhance human intelligence by developing neurological implants which are directly linked to computers. Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg stated that Facebook users will one day be able to share ‘full sensory and emotional experiences’. The company’s research and development team is already working on a typing-by-brain project. Another opportunity underlying neurotechnology is illustrated by Mary Lou Jepsen who launched a start-up called Openwater. The seasoned Silicon Valley executive and her team are working on optical-imaging system which provides high-resolution images. These images can be translated and interpreted in real time, opening the doors for possible telepathic applications according to Jepsen. John Donoghue, the director of the Wyss Centre for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, is more down to earth. Donoghue argues that although neurotechnologists are able to do incredible things, a lot of the functioning of the human brain remains unclear. “It is valuable to set a really ambitious goal that gets everyone really excited, especially if it drives investment,” Donoghue states. “On the other hand, they may be setting false expectations for what can be achieved, which will then create disillusionment.”

From an academic perspective, neurotechnology can be defined as ‘any artificial means to interact with the workings of the brain’ (Lynch, 2006). In other words, neurotechnology has a fundamental influence on our understanding of the brain, higher order activities and multiple aspects of consciousness However, neurotechnology also incorporates improvements in and the repairs of brain function. Although the field of neurotechnology has been around for almost half a century, the field reached maturity with the advent of brain imaging around twenty years ago (Eaton & Illes, 2007). Since then the major developments can be categorized into imaging (visually mapping brain activity), transcranial magnetic stimulation, implant technologies and cell therapy which play in an important role throughout different facets of health care. Neurotechnological applications have helped in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, bipolarity, brain tumours, deafness and blindness. However, despite the innovations and advancements in the neurotechnological industry, we’re far from the plug-and-play applications as sketched by the Silicon Valley based executives. Paul Sajda, professor at Columbia University, summarizes the current state of affairs perfectly; “The typical Silicon Valley attitude is that if you throw enough money at something, you can solve the problem, while that approach might work for applied sciences, it does not necessarily work when there are fundamental questions that are yet to be answered.”

Arthur Fortanier

Discussion
How long will it be until the average person receives a brain implant to interact with computers?

Sources
https://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/devices/silicon-valleys-latest-craze-brain-tech
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/01/elon-musk-neurotechnology-human-enhancement-brain-computer-interfaces
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/603771/the-entrepreneur-with-the-100-million-plan-to-link-brains-to-computers/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/business/elon-musk-interview-tesla.htm
https://www.nature.com/articles/nbt0407-393
https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1196/annals.1305.016
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969996109003623