Background to this slightly weird question: I found one of my old an English exams on science fiction and dystopian literature from the 11th grade in North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany (ca. 2004) and found a similar question. The idea back then was to discuss the pro- and cons of a BCI (and I objectively did not do to well back then) . I am interested about people’s opinions.
Assuming the implementation is done in such a way that I am not indirectly owned by the manufacturer of the BCI and am capable of maintaining its software and firmware myself…yes yes absolutely yes stick that shit in my head.
But if it is not open source and I’m expected to be tied to some corporate entity just to utililze it, no, absolutely not.
Similar feelings. I’m far less worried about the tech than the corpos behind the tech. There are other concerns, like immune system going haywire, constant EM radiation, etc. But the capitalist tech bros would be my chief concern.
I can imagine a world in which I’d be willing to do so. But there’s no way in fuck that that world is ever going to happen.
For sure it’d have to be as open source as it gets. With a solid user base that would maintain the device should the entity that made it end support. No dependency on a remote service that, if it was shut down, would cause problems. No DRM. No tracking. At least the option to disable all “phoning home”. No ads. Hardware off switches for any wireless connectivity interfaces. I’d have to be able to turn off basically all notifications. Decent data backup strategy options. As little vendor lockin as can possibly be achieved for such a use case. All that sort of stuff.
The payoff for having it would have to be pretty great for me to be willing to get it if it required an invasive surgical procedure.
And I sure as fuck wouldn’t be an early adopter. I’d definitely wait a good long while to see what issues early adopters developed.
So, all that to say “realistically, no way in hell.” But in a magical fairly land where every product isn’t made specifically to enslave consumers… there’s a very very small chance I’d consider it.
This is the exact answer I was going to write, it’s an awesome technology, and sometimes I’m cooking or doing something random and thinking that if I had a neural interface with my computer I could keep doing what I was doing, or taking notes or anything which would be great… But there’s no way in hell I’m going to trust any of the companies that could produce this, and I doubt that even if one came out soon there would be a viable open source alternative any time in my lifetime.
If anyone thinks we’re just crazy open source guys, consider that both Adobe and Microsoft just changed their terms to include owning essentially anything you do inside their platform to train AIs.
No way, it would be cool at first then after awhile they would start with the freaking ads and subscriptions
In order to improve your product experience, your BrainSpider™ Neural Sight Restoration Implant product will be transitioning to a subscription model. As such, we have updated our terms of service.
By accepting our updated terms of service, you agree to accept all future and retroactive changes to the BrainSpider™ Terms of Service and forfeit your right to sue Neuralcorp. If you do not agree to these terms, immediately cease using your BrainSpider™ product. For customers who wish to inquire about implant removal, we remind you that the consultation waiver acknowledges and accepts that the surgical operations performed by Neuralcorp licensed medical contractors are permanent and irreversible. We thank you for your understanding.
useful brain-computer interface
It’s called a keyboard, and I already have one.
After 45 years of living I’ve learned that the future sucks and capitalism ruins everything. So no, I’ll pass on the brain ship. If I’m disabled enough to need one, I live in America and there’s plenty of gun stores.
Yes but only if it’s actually secure and safe ie. fully open source
This. We already have cybernetic eyes, but the company went bellyup, so once the ones already installed stop working, the users are fucked. If it were open source, they’d be some effort, either corporate or community to create an update.
Agree. I would also insist on it being supported by a socialised health system with control over pharmaceutical pricing.
I already have one. It came out in the 90’s. It’s called MindDrive. I’m sure that similar devices made in the modern day are way better.
But that’s not really what I want anymore. Being able to control the PC with my thoughts is a novelty for me. Far more useful to the disabled. What I want is the reverse; I don’t want to send signals from my brain to the computer, I want computer signals to my brain. Like a VR system that uses your visual cortex to directly generate images in your perception and send other feedback to trick your brain ala Total Recall.
Or being able to give myself entirely new senses with an implant (possible right now; but there’s no commercially available products I am aware of).
I’m hoping that by the time I’m ready to retire I can just throw my shambling soon to be corpse into a pod and Jack into the matrix for the last 5 to 10 years of my life.
If I have kids or grandkids or whatever they can all come and visit me while I’m out fighting demons with my harem of ultra-powered sword mage catgirlfriends.
If we’re talking about the neural lace from the Culture Sci-Fi series, hell yeah. It’s all nanotech that could be installed and removed in a non-invasive way. You get a lot more control over your body, enhanced cognition, mental backups so you’re really hard to kill permanently, comms, all the knowledge, VR more real than reality, control a robot as an extension of your body, etc.
They were still vulnerable to remote takeover in extreme and unusual situations. I think an EMP like thing would switch them off.
Realistically would I let somebody put something running binaries written in C and ad supported apps in my head? Not happening.
(and secure and safe)
…is what’s getting me. Secure and safe for whom? Secure and safe for the company? Then fuck no. Secure and safe for me? Then yeah, implant that thing!
The venn diagram of “wireless connectivity” and “secure and safe” is two non-overlapping circles. Now, consider that something crammed inside your brain probably won’t have a USB port protruding from your skull.
Judging by how tech has basically used it to spy, control, and advertise to people, there is no way I would let more of my data get in the hands of these ghouls. The only way this could happen is if there were stringent government controls that put the ownership of data into the hands of people with walls around that data preventing governments from accessing it. At this point, none of this seems possible.
No. Just no.
Can add a few more nos to that
The way the world is moving towards the subscription model - no way. Imagine some company having the ability to remotely disable the chip.
If the BCI was implanted with no external communication, perhaps. Depends on how it will benefit me.
No
Despite my best efforts to get away from computers, I still find myself attached to them in one way or another during most of my waking hours. Lemmy is my computer time that acts as a mental break from other computer time. Connecting in an even more intimate way sounds horrible.
I don’t think that I would ever trust this, considering the state of everything currently. But yeah, if it was secure and safe. I think it would be cool to have things like better storage capabilities, eyesight enhancements, auxiliary sensations, etc.
It probably wouldn’t be cheap either though, which already puts the concept out of my reach.
shrugs
