Going neural: Will function creep pollute BCI technology for humans?

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As scientists make progress with Brain Computer Interface (BCI), and Elon Musk’s Neuralink makes it popular with the masses, what course is this technology likely to take in the future? But is it unfounded to expect function creep occurring in BCI technology?

This February, 30 year old Noland Arbaugh, the patient implanted with Neuralink’s brain technology controlled a computer mouse just by thinking. So, how does it feel to live with computer brain chip in the head? Arbaugh says he doesn’t feel a thing but has been able to reconnect with the world after the implant.

In May, the company ran into some trouble when it disclosed that tiny wires inside the brain of its first patient had moved out of position. In fact, the company had been aware of the issue for years, according to Reuters. This incident revealed one of the biggest risks of this technology according to Douglas Weber, a mechanical engineer and neuroscientist at Carnegie Mellon University who told the Scientific American that the “possibility of such disappointment and anxiety is one of the “biggest risks” in human BCI research.”

After all the ominous sci-fi flicks like the 1983 Christopher Walken starrer ‘Brainstorm’, the Black Mirror episode ‘The Entire History of You’, and the Jennifer Lopez starrer ‘The Cell’, we tend to get a few goosebumps with such technology becoming reality

Neuralink isn’t the only one working on this technology. Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates backed Synchron, a rival to Musk’s Neuralink brain implant startup, has also been working on the same. In April, CNBC revealed that the Synchron Switch is implanted in the patient via the blood vessels, which then allows people with no or very limited physical mobility to operate technology such as cursors and smart home devices using their mind. So far, the nascent technology has been used on three patients in the US and four in Australia.

BCI has seen some incredible progress recently. In August last year, UC Berkeley researchers recreated a song using neural signals, an unprecedented feat. While people listened to Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1,’ a ML model decoded their brain data to reproduce the song. While the song sounds garbled, it’s definitely recognizable.

In June, Scientists from Switzerland-based startup FinalSpark connected 16 mini brains made of human tissue to form a biological computer. Being called “a 21st century version of Frankenstein’s monster,” the startup is positioning this computer as an alternative to silicon-based computing. It claims that its biocomputer, the Neuroplatform, consumes much less resources while computing.

“One of the biggest advantages of biological computing is that neurons compute information with much less energy than digital computers. It is estimated that living neurons can use over one million times less energy than the current digital processors we use,” FinalSpark scientist and strategic advisor Ewelina Kurtys wrote in a company blog post.

BCIs have existed for decades. Undoubtedly, the technology can improve the life of those living with conditions like quadriplegia, and people with other disabilities or neurodegenerative diseases. But can this technology become a potential hazard to humanity when function creep inevitably occurs?

After all the ominous sci-fi flicks like the 1983 Christopher Walken starrer ‘Brainstorm’, the Black Mirror episode ‘The Entire History of You’, and the Jennifer Lopez starrer ‘The Cell’, we tend to get a few goosebumps with such technology becoming reality.

Function creep occurs when a tech meant for a certain purpose like health starts getting used for another purpose such as surveillance or defence. Such BCI technology has already been picked up by the military.

According to Military.com, the Pentagon might very soon be using brain implants for US troops, special operators and pilots to be connected to BCI technology so that America’s warfighters are more efficient and lethal in battle. This technology could erase fear from a soldier’s mind, fill them with more determination, or worse, hatred. The Black Mirror episode ‘Men Against Fire’ comes to mind, where soldiers see perfectly ordinary villagers as feral mutants.

This technology could erase fear from a soldier’s mind, fill them with more determination, or worse, hatred

And what happens when ordinary citizens get access to this technology? Can we keep our desires from overpowering us so that we keep away from controlling a weapon system that could destroy our enemies just by thought? The Stanley Milgram experiment already showed shocking results regarding authority bias in people.

BCI can be an invitation to outsiders into the deep recesses of our brain, where information privy to only us could become known to teachers, employers, governments, spouses

It’s almost a given that implanted microchips will store user medical, financial, and other personal information. Does this mean we’ll be up against cybercriminals hacking into our brains? BCI can be an invitation to outsiders into the deep recesses of our brain, where information privy to only us could become known to teachers, employers, governments, spouses. Rember the ‘Arkangel’ episode Black Mirror? Regulating citizen thoughts could become a norm.

As research authors in a augmented body surveillance paper, say, “Undeniably, the present and potential future functions, applications, uses, and extensions of human microchip implantations in various sectors warrant a proactive examination of their security, privacy, and data protection consequences and the implementation of proactive policies to regulate new and currently unregulated uses of this technology and its associated data within these sectors.”

And what will happen when this technology pairs with AI? Will we be downloading human consciousness into machines soon? BCI is a boon for the medical use it has been created for, but before we allow function creep, we must answer more questions.

Navanwita Bora Sachdev

Navanwita is the editor of The Tech Panda who also frequently publishes stories in news outlets such as The Indian Express, Entrepreneur India, and The Business Standard