Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is promoting an armband that lets you type just by thinking. Apple has a patent for Airpods that can measure brain activity.
At the same time, researchers have discovered a way to use AI to decipher brain activity, a fancy way of saying mind reading. Experts say this could be transformative for neurotechnologies that can measure brain activity and translate that activity into commands (think hands-free typing).
Tech companies are developing neurotechnology advances in the medical world. META is supporting a team of neuroscientists whose research has uncovered a non-surgical way to detect brain activity and speech and interpret thoughts. Non-invasive mind reading has the potential to be revolutionary in patient care. It can also be used by big tech companies in consumer products that put privacy at risk.
But regulators and governments are beginning to take action. After Colorado passes first-of-its-kind neurorights law, activists are working toward federal policies that protect our thought data as AI-powered research accelerates development . Products in this space.
If you want to future-proof your portfolio, you need to know what's next in the business of neurotechnology. In this series, Yahoo Finance features stories that offer a glimpse into the future, showing how companies are making the big moves that matter today and tomorrow.
Click here to learn more about the NEXT series and tune in to Yahoo Finance Live Monday through Friday for more expert insights and the latest market trends.
video transcript
Elon Musk's startup Neuralink is facing several setbacks after announcing a brain implant. The company's first brain implant in a human patient malfunctions. The company announced in a blog post that it had encountered an issue that resulted in a reduction in the amount of data it could capture due to several reasons. To explain, this is a bit complicated. This is the brain implanted in this patient, his computer interface. Shana's interface has over 1000 electrodes across her 64 threads. What I mean here is that some of these threads are not working. I don't know how many threads there are. But this is a very important part of the process of implanting this brain-computer interface into that patient's brain, and this brain-computer interface allows this patient to do things like chess without doing anything. . I had to use his hands. If these threads stop working, that's a big problem. Yeah, that's a big problem. Looking at this blog post here, it wasn't immediately clear or they didn't disclose the information. Ah, the fact that the thread was unexpectedly responded to and retracted here. Hmm, so what exactly does this mean? For patients who have neurological diseases in the brain, there are unknowns regarding this. there are a lot of. Obviously this is the first time something like this has happened. However, they say the issue does not appear to pose a risk to patient safety at this time. But here's the story, at least initially. According to recent reports, in this journal article, the possibility of removing the implant, the so-called explanation, surfaced. So, again, there are a lot of questions about what this will look like going forward, what exactly this means, and future adoption. clearly. So I think there are a lot of questions that are unanswered at this point. But again, the focus is on patient safety and, at least for now, there seems to be some discussion going on just in terms of what ultimately needs to happen or whether the implant should be As to whether or not it may need to be removed. That's exactly right, Shana. Well, this is part of a broader push from big tech companies specifically looking to invest in so-called neurotechnology. And this is the focus of the next episode. please look. I think we'll start getting consumer neural interfaces soon. It's like his Fitbit implanted into his skull with tiny wires. The CEO of the world's largest technology company says that even if there is a future where we can type and click using only our brains, it won't necessarily be because of a chip implanted in our brains. Rather, experts say the next big thing in neurotechnology will be portable products that are placed entirely outside the body. Since Meta 2021, CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been touting an armband that lets you control your devices with subtle hand movements. And as big tech companies move on, Apple has also filed a patent for Airpods that incorporate electrodes to measure brain activity. Neurotechnology, an industry that one estimate could be worth $55 billion. However, questions remain about the privacy concerns associated with this technology. This is our last bastion of privacy, we have given up all other aspects of privacy that exist, and you can fully understand it.The next episode will be on Monday at 4 p.m. It premieres here at 1:30 p.m.
