By Link Daniel
Original Publication Date: January 21, 2021
In order to be able to create novel technology to introspect our minds and explore the nature of reality, we must rely on the underlying technology that would enable the creation of such tools. It will be thanks to brain computer interfaces, the foundational technology that connects the brain and the computer, that are still in their infancy, which will allow us to build those tools. Before we can build the vehicles of the mind, we need to build the engine that can power those vehicles. Only then can we use those vehicles to travel the inner world of the mind.
As a thought experiment, before looking at the history and state of brain computers, let us briefly explore the properties of the ideal brain computer. In order to create virtual dreams, we need brain computers powerful enough to interface with millions of neurons in the brain and communicate them to the outside world and vice versa. In other words, we require capability to read and write into every single neuron in order to edit neurons, stimulate, augment or strengthen them. We need to create a two-way feedback loop between the brain and the computer in which neurons represent the medium of communication that we can alter and change. This technology would allow computing abilities from thought. A brain computer would augment and integrate into our limbic system and cortex. In short, we need a networked brain in order to edit and direct ideally every single neuron in such a way that we can create a link to the virtual world.
To create this type of brain computer, however, is a monumental task, as we currently are only able to record a few thousand neurons simultaneously. Neurons are simple in some way that they can either fire an action potential or they cannot. Yet there is an inherent complexity to them, as neuroplasticity allows each neuron to constantly change and influence the brain’s neural pathways. We would need to get into the millions to be able to start creating magical things out of the close to one hundred billion neurons that travel inside the brain. Imagine when we are getting closer to interfacing with all neurons in our brain simultaneously. Eventually, we will connect brains together in order to interact with trillions of neurons in a network of brains.
The brain computer needs to be ultra high-bandwidth in terms of ability to transmit information back and forth between brains and computers. It should last a long time because procedures to install or replace the device will be costly. It needs to communicate in both directions, in order to enable a two-way feedback loop between brains and computers. Safety and security are also paramount. We need to create a brain computer that is as non-invasive as possible and it definitely needs to be as safe as possible no matter how invasive it ends up becoming. The ideal brain computer would also need to be one in which the user owns the data that flows between the brain and the computer through cryptographic guarantees.
We need open standards that will allow everyone to govern the future of brain computers instead of having it governed by a few powerful stakeholders. In the development of this technology, ethical questions need to be applied and cannot be skipped over by private interest. We also need to think about this now and not when the technology has been released. In that regard open, permissionless protocols need to be used to ensure data is not mined by special interest.
Most importantly, it will be up to all of us to imagine the future of brain computers. In the long run, we are not only going to connect brains to computers, but also enable brain to brain communication. If we are going to create virtual worlds, we need to be mindful about the foundation that we put into place. We need to enable viewpoints from a diverse set of stakeholders in order to maximize the potential of brain computers.
In order to get to this future, the primary goal of the industry is to create a strong forcing function that would accelerate our growth rate of simultaneously recorded neurons. We first need to discover the whole map before we can explore the brain let alone probe into the nature of reality by investigating the mind. If we could interface with one million neurons simultaneously that would open the gateway for so much progress. In order to get there sooner rather than later, we need to work together and find common ground to unite in our quest to explore the brain. As we are able to create a forcing function that will increase the number of neurons we can interface with simultaneously, the things we will able to do will increase exponentially. It is not a simple endeavor to get to this future and we have a long way to go.
We are heading into unknown territory and there will be an endless amount of opportunities. This should encourage us to share our intelligences and work closer together instead of maintaining a closed environment. If we set a foundation based on open and permissionless principles, we can all share a much larger pie. We can also unleash the creativity of so many stakeholders that have yet to enter the space. We will be stronger united.
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