(PCM) Over the years we have analyzed the many pros and cons of technology growth. Our devices such as smartphones, computers and televisions are getting smarter and smarter by the day and there is really no set of rules governing just where the limits of this technology growth can lead. Some feel it can lead to a very bad place where our devices can take over for actual thinking, which is why the news that Facebook is developing a new technology that would allow them to be able to read our thoughts is absolutely terrifying, yet intriguing at the same time.
Should Facebook really even be allowed to harness that type of power and just how would it be able to differentiate between thoughts that we want known and other thoughts that we would rather keep to ourselves. Facebook’s new mind-reading plan was revealed during the company’s annual F8 conference which is where the developers gather to discuss various future technologies and reveal what they have been working on.
The news was revealed by Facebook’s vice president of engineering Regina Dugan who heads up the projects located in Facebook’s mysterious Building 8, an area where we still wonder what kind of crazy stuff is really happening in there! Dugan claimed the company was hard at work on two special projects that focused on “silent speech communications” and a new system that would allow Facebook users to only type using their brains.
In a statement, Dugan said, “Over the next 2 years, we will be building systems that demonstrate the capability to type at 100 wpm by decoding neural activity devoted to speech.Just as you take many photos and decide to share some of them, so too, you have many thoughts and decide to share some of them in the form of the spoken word.”
In layman’s terms, basically Facebook wants to find a way to connect your brain directly to the computer or smart device. Currently the only systems that feature this type of technology require some sort of brain implant that would then allow thoughts to be texted out, however Facebook would like to perfect this technology to be used without the need for any type of surgical procedure.
Many were concerned about privacy to which Dugan addressed saying, “We are not talking about decoding your random thoughts.You have many thoughts, you choose to share some of them. We’re talking about decoding those words. A silent speech interface – one with all the speed and flexibility of voice.”
Still, this means that Facebook would still be gathering the info from all of our thoughts, not just the ones we would choose to post. How would they be able to make that determination about which thoughts to publish and which to keep private. The research into this type of technology is far from complete and we are certain that we will not be seeing anything quite that invasive anytime in the near future, but the thought that is it on the way is definitely a bit scary and concerning, as it won’t be that long of a wait!
