Dangerous development: Meta AI decodes thoughts into text.
Meta AI’s recent advances in converting brain activity into text are causing a stir. The technology, based on non-invasive techniques such as magnetoencephalography (MEG), promises to reconstruct typed sentences with up to 80% accuracy. But while this innovation is being hailed as groundbreaking, it raises profound ethical and societal questions.
Consciousness reading or control?
Meta’s AI model, developed in collaboration with the Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, could represent a major step in human-machine interaction. By decoding brainwaves and converting them into text, it enables a form of communication without physical input. But what at first glance appears to be a technological achievement could prove to be a risky invasion of privacy. Who guarantees that this technology won’t be misused to read consciousness without the consent of the person concerned?
The illusion of voluntariness
Currently, research is based on volunteers participating in experiments. But with increasing refinement, this technology could establish itself as a surveillance tool. In the past, biometric data such as fingerprints or facial recognition were initially used for voluntary purposes – but later used for mass surveillance. A similar development is possible in the field of brain data. Who protects people from companies or governments using this technology secretly or under duress?
Technological challenges as a security risk
While MEG offers high spatial resolution and EEG is more portable, a fundamental problem remains: the quality and security of the collected data. Brain signals are extremely complex, and misinterpretation could have serious consequences. An AI that misunderstands a preconceived notion could have fatal consequences—especially if such systems are integrated into legal or medical processes.
Will we soon be subconsciously manipulated?
Meta and other tech giants have already shown that they don’t hesitate to exploit user data for commercial or political purposes. What occurs when companies gain access to our thoughts? The line between advertising and consciousness manipulation could become blurred. The dream of a direct human-machine interface could end in a nightmarish reality where private thoughts are no longer safe.
Conclusion: Progress with dangerous implications
The ability to convert brain activity into text may be a technological milestone, but it carries serious risks. Without clear ethical boundaries and legal safeguards, this development could lead to people losing their last bastion of privacy—their own thoughts. The euphoric belief in progress should not lead to the disregard of fundamental rights and ethical principles.
yogaesoteric
March 20, 2025
