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from the HOW-DO-I-TURN-THIS-*@!*#-THING-OFF? dept.
Ever wonder what it would be like if a device could decode your thoughts into actual speech or written words? While this might enhance the capabilities of already existing speech interfaces with devices, it could be a potential game-changer for those with speech pathologies, and even more so for "locked-in" patients who lack any speech or motor function.
[...] This study presents the Brain-to-text system in which epilepsy patients who already had electrode grids implanted for treatment of their condition participated. They read out texts presented on a screen in front of them while their brain activity was recorded. This formed the basis of a database of patterns of neural signals that could now be matched to speech elements or "phones."
When the researchers also included language and dictionary models in their algorithms, they were able to decode neural signals to text with a high degree of accuracy. "For the first time, we could show that brain activity can be decoded specifically enough to use ASR technology on brain signals," says Herff. "However, the current need for implanted electrodes renders it far from usable in day-to-day life."
The full journal article is available: Automatic Speech Recognition from Neural Signals: A Focused Review. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 2016; 10 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2016.00429
Tried it. It kept writing, "OMG, ponies!"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 30 2016, @11:16PM
The concern is that such a device could end up as a sort of "thought reader" and might end up severely compromising privacy for both individuals and society at large. The notion of a world where computers could transcribe thoughts with or without consent is a chilling one, to say the least. Even if one was not a victim, it might lead to a scary level of self-censorship in thoughts, and would probably be enough to drive a lot of people to the point of mental illness out of self-defense or fear. A world where wearing a tin-foil hat is actual practical advice for privacy protection, and is not used as an analogy by idiots who do not want to actually consider potential societal problems, is not fun to contemplate.
That said, I do not discount the utility of the system. Hopefully it does not operate in such an arbitrary way that way; I imagine it doesn't, since it seems like the sort of thing you would need to train yourself to use. Nevertheless, it is definitely something worth considering, particularly as we get more technology that is able to peer into the human brain and act based on the data and analyses it conducts. It is also worth considering that even if a first generation device cannot do this, it may become far more practical and capable of far more invasive probes in the future.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 31 2016, @12:09AM
I, for one, KILL KILL KILL welcome our mind-reading overlords. I welcome them. Welcome, I say.