In the future .. will your smartphone read your thoughts?

A Finnish study of artificial intelligence allowed the creation of images based on ideas, and this experiment is another step towards realizing Elon Musk's dream of connecting humans with devices.

For example, imagine a world in which a person wears a helmet on his head that analyzes brain waves and allows controlling connected objects as well as creating images and transmitting ideas through a computer or smartphone.

In his report, published in the French newspaper "nouvelobs", writer Jean-Paul Fritz wonders whether this step will help correct speech, restore vision, help people who have been deprived of the right to move, or make the dishwasher clean dishes as soon as the owner thinks in that.

For his part, the founder and president of the American company "Space X", Elon Musk, said that he would like to insert a chip into the human skull and connect it better to devices or with the aim of transforming us into "strengthened" humans who are able to delegate our memory or our thoughts to the computer.

Today, the work of 3 Finnish researchers published in the Journal of Scientific Reports, the link between humans and devices, has taken a step further, as artificial intelligence has been able to create images that match ideas.

Two major trends

The author added that the communication between the biological brain and digital intelligence is still in its infancy stage.

And while some progress has been made, we're still far from actually communicating with the devices.

In fact, there are two main directions of research in relation to direct neural interface, which are non-permissible methods such as the Elon Musk project to implant slices with electrodes inserted into the brain, and permissible methods such as magnetic resonance imaging or EEG.

The connection between the human brain and devices is still in its infancy, but every day it takes a step forward (Getty Images)

In fact, magnetic resonance imaging requires heavy equipment, and therefore, we will not see any time soon a device capable of tracking us everywhere to scan neuronal activity.

On the other hand, the EEG is the closest thing to a portable technology, as there are already versions that can be connected to a smartphone.

The author noted that if we could read brain activity, it would mean progress, despite its limitations, which is impressive.

The Gallant Lab at UC Berkeley, for example, in 2011 succeeded in accurately reconstructing the images volunteers see through their visual cortex activity.

A year later, a Japanese team successfully decoded the signals corresponding to the images that people dreamed of when they were undergoing a brain scan.

Deciphering the images we envision

Lori Cangasalo, Michael Sababi and Tuka Rutsalo, from the Computer Science Department at the University of Helsinki, were chosen to conduct their experiments in order to push the interface between humans and devices even further.

Here, it is no longer just a matter of writing a letter or replacing the mouse with an idea, but also capturing data in the mind in order to visualize it.

Meanwhile, the scientists asked a group of 31 volunteers to think of categories of faces, whether young or old - women or men - and while recording the associated brain waves, they presented them for the first time with computer-generated faces with some characteristics.

Professor Toca Rutsalo, co-author of the study, said, "The technology combines natural human reactions with the ability of a computer to generate new information."

"During the experiment, participants were asked to look only at computerized images. In turn, the computer models the images and the human reaction using the interactions of the human brain, and from here the computer can create a completely new image that matches the user's intent," Rozalo added.

On the other hand, the other researchers said, "To our knowledge, this new study is the first of its kind in which the presentation of information by a computer and brain signals was designed simultaneously using artificial intelligence methods."

The technology, if successful, could make the computer visualize what the person is thinking and display the corresponding images (Getty Images)

More luxury, more worry

By applying these principles, a computer can be made to visualize what the person is thinking and display corresponding images.

Moreover, Finnish scientists, who believe that such technology can help artists, assert that this technique can be used in psychology and cognitive neuroscience.

For his part, Rozalo said, "If you want to draw or illustrate something and you are unable to do so, the computer can help you achieve your goal by monitoring your focus of attention and predicting what you want to create."

In this regard, Michel Sababy said, "This technique does not recognize ideas, but rather responds to the connections that we form with mental groups."

If artificial intelligence can decode the images in the human brain, it will be possible to imagine potential deviations if we succeed in detailing and analyzing thoughts or our unconscious associations with the help of this type of technology.

As it has always been, technological progress helps in obtaining more well-being, yet thinking about the ability of a computer to read thoughts remains a matter of controversy and concern.