Authors: Anna Ayoung-Stoute and Jasmine Parent
Telepathy has always been a mystery. Can we, as humans, communicate with our thoughts, without speaking or writing? With the advances of technology, interest has grown in telepathic communication; particularly in mobile texting communication. Our A3 project highlights the advances in research for texting telepathy, as well as potential pros, cons, and societal concerns for its future mainstream use. We believe that texting telepathy will be a part of a new wave in mobile technology and telecommunication and are intrigued by its future.
For this assignment, Anna Ayoung-Stoute and I, created a wiki page using Bit.ai.Please click the link below to access the wiki page.
Texting Telepathy: https://etec523telepathy.bit.ai/rdc/NPWOvscR3fXDjAYT
A lot of unanswered questions came up for us while building the wiki site. Therefore, we would like to hear your thoughts: How do you think texting telepathy will fit into the mobile ecosystem? How will it impact education?
Well done, ladies! I particularly enjoyed the videos you included. They helped me understand what is being worked on and how the various technologies can change how we interact with others and the world. While the idea of having an implant in my brain gives me the creeps, the ability to “cure” paralysis would be a life-changer to so many. The leap really is not that far off if we consider how cochlear implants and the implants available to block pain signals for those with traumatic brain injury (I wish my sister-in-law’s surgery had been successful) have improved the lives. The ability to telepathically text has far-reaching implications from a police services perspective. Could this be the end of kidnappings or children and adults wandering off? Search parties and offering ransom money could be a thing of the past. From an education perspective, I wonder if such a technology could help those with learning disabilities and what that may look like. I suppose this could also lead to the potential for cheating negatively, but of course, it’s too soon to tell! I have to ask – are you one of your StarTrek junkies? This seems to be something that Captain Janeway would come up with!
Hi Jasmine and Anna, what an interesting and forward thinking topic! I was very intrigued reading through it and thinking about the different implications this could have socially and in education. I am researching multi sensory virtual reality for my A3 and there are some similarities in terms of how people experience the world and how those perceptions shape their reality so I would be interested to see how this would work with this topic. As mentioned above, “thoughts also contain feelings, sounds, and ideas, in addition to words” so I wonder how the devices would patch into that? I also wonder how they would manage the ‘monkey mind’ that much of our society has these days, would it require the ability of the user to sustain a thought for an extended period of time? How would it manage multiple thoughts simultaneously or the stream of consciousness narrative that most of us have in our heads these days that jumps around? It is fascinating to think about and it does seem that technology is moving in that direction so I am very interested to see how it could be used in the future or paired with other future technology like multi sensory VR, could it partner as an AR headset to create an immersive experience that also allows you to communicate thoughts to each other? So intriguing to consider the possibilities!
Hi Asha. It is hard to imagine what relaying a message with feelings, sounds, ideas might look like. I think we need to know more about how these ideas or thoughts are present in the brain. I also have a lot of questions! My first reaction to researching this topic was “what if you send the wrong thought to the wrong person”. We can’t always control our thoughts and I am pretty happy that we cannot read each other’s minds… what a world that would be. So, I do question, how much concentration it would take to send the right message to the right person at the right time. The research they have done with conveying simple messages or directions is still incredibly fascinating. This video is one I found to be really interesting that looks into some of the current research on the brain-machine interface and covers it in an accessible way for us non-neuroscientist folk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBAgVmlmFAY
This was a really interesting topic. I have to agree with the above comments, I come at this with a bit of skepticism. I agree that the development of technology that will allow communication for individuals currently limited would be nothing short of remarkable,; however, I do have concerns over texting via thoughts and whether information and individual thoughts would be safeguarded. it was also really fascinating to learn about the continued development of this technology and the trials on pigs. To insert a chip into the brain seems very futuristic however the technology is clearly moving in direction and could really help a lot of people. Will this change the way that classrooms and learning is done? I think it is too early to say what effects this will have on our classrooms, but I fully support technology that would allow individuals to find ways of overcoming barriers in learning. Thanks for exploring this topic, it was very interesting.
Hi Miguel,
Thank you for your comment. You are right that it is too early to determine to what degree telepathic texting will have on teaching and learning. However, the early results have shown that the possibility exist that inclusiveness may occur in the classroom. Students with disabilities will be able to participate with their peers. So this form of mobile technology has the potential to open opportunities for learning that currently are challenging for some.
Hi Jasmine and Anna, what an interesting overview of this future-forward technology. The societal and pedagogical impacts of this technology will undoubtedly change the way our world functions. In education, we will have to reevaluate how we teach the fundamentals since those fundamentals will need to shift (and not just in the way we communicate). We are already experiencing a shift within education where technology influences how things are taught, so it is hard to fathom what this sort of technology would do to education moving forward.
I hope that researchers unaffiliated with these large companies are the first to unveil their technological platforms, and shift the technology towards non-propriety and equitable uses.
Artificial intelligence may also play a role in how messages will be assembled and shared. How can the technology ensure that it is less about Interpretation, and therefore as accurate as possible?
Hi Sam,
Good question about technology and interpretation. I had to return to the study Hola-Ciao study (https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0105225). Now if I understand your question correctly, in their study telepathy communication was clear. The receiver understood just as you and I would understand a concise text what was being communicated. However, I believe this form of mobile technology will definitely have a lot of glitches but I don’t think interpretation will be a huge factor. In reflection interpretation exist now in mobile technology, for example an ambiguous text from someone.
This is a very interesting topic, Anna and Jasmine! My mind also went to the medical benefits immediately (ALS, paralysis, apraxia of speech, etc.) and had to stretch a bit to consider educational implications. One area could be in experiential learning (think placements, practicums, residencies, etc.). For example, a co-op student who runs into an issue at work can simply ‘dial in’ telepathically to their boss or colleague for assistance, or a medical student receives a quicker response from the overseeing doctor in an emergency situation. What I don’t understand, though, is how it would work. Last I heard, language (or in this case, thoughts) requires coordination across multiple brain areas. And as Liv pointed out already, thoughts also contain feelings, sounds, and ideas (I’d add memories, perhaps?), in addition to words. So which part of the brain would these devices be patched into, exactly? Also, could this technology produce the same issues as when someone is trying to use sarcasm in a text, being void of tone and inflection? Will predictive text be an option with this ‘tele-texting’? Who is held accountable when the message is incorrect, or doesn’t send? Can you edit before you send the message? Do you receive biofeedback that the text was sent and received (like checkmarks on most texting apps)? From an ethical/legal perspective, what about laws surrounding free speech (and hate speech)? Would these extend to thoughts? Thanks for an engaging presentation!
Hi Melissa,
Good point about the experiential learning aspect of texting telepathy, we did come across some speculations, but those articles concentrated on improving efficiency at the workplace. Not the communication component. From what we understand, the device would use non-invasive EEG technology to detect electrical signals from the brain. Interesting questions about whether telepathic texting would have the same functions as mobiles. Since it is our thoughts, perhaps not because ultimately we have control to a certain extent. However, like any new technology, these are kinks and questions that will be addressed once it is launched and is available to everyone. Would there be control over hate speech? Then big brother is watching, and that leads to privacy issues. Alternatively, maybe we would be able to turn off the telepathic service. The unknown is vast hence why this technology is considered taboo by many.
Hi Anna and Jasmine,
I truly enjoyed this topic; quite fascinating.
Even though I can totally see value in brain-to-text technology going mainstream, nonetheless, brain-computer interface, or in general, any human-machine communication could be extremely valuable to folks who have neurologic diseases, injury, or limb loss. Assistive communication would highly increase the quality of life for people with greater levels of functional limitations. If you are interested in this area, I would highly recommend following the Brain Gate Project which has been running clinical trials and pilot studies around the very same topic. They have some fascinating videos which show how patients with spinal cord injuries turn their thoughts to actual text. https://www.braingate.org/publication-videos/
Hi Saeid
Thank you for your comments; as we worked on the assignment, we asked people how they felt about the technology. People were not be inclined to explore telepathic texting as they felt the technology is entering their private space, which is a valid reason. Though we did not get a chance to ask someone with a disability, we speculate that they would be inclined to use the technology. The Braingate project has made great strides, when working on the assignment we came across their work. Another exciting project is AlterEgo which allows humans to converse silently using a device, though not BCI; we thought it was fascinating (https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/alterego/frequently-asked-questions/) in terms of the capabilities for people with disabilities.
Oh, I love how future-thinking this topic is.
“Texting telepathy will be a quick and easy form of mobile communication. Â Whereby allowing for hands-free texting, which is especially appealing since it facilitates effortless multitasking and, importantly, a potentially safe way to text while driving. ”
I disagree. Our brains don’t parallel process very well. I suspect this would be as much of a problem as texting and driving without specific training.
I also want to note that brain-to-text may actually be one of the later technologies to come out of this technologies. The video gamers will get to it first as it removes the latency of motor neuron control (think, you could have 200millisecond faster reactions because that sluggish efferent neural pathway isn’t involved). Having brain areas related to digital (ON or OFF) buttons is a far easier technology than trying to parse natural language.
There are definitely ethical questions here, but I for one welcome a new data input device. The keyboard and mouse are so 1980s (no offense to those who came of age in the 1980).
Also, the precursor to this tech exists now as a commercial product. https://store.neurosky.com/
(Full disclosure: I can’t claim too much credit here. My students found this when they were tossing around ideas for a project that would involve EEG to control a 3D printed hand.)
Hi Mitchell,
Multi-tasking (i.e., driving) will be challenging since it revolves around concentration. So just as now, it would require concentrating on more than one task at a time. However, this technology will take up a lot of our focus. Ethical questions will arise as the technology is an invasion of privacy on many levels and data collection. With texting telepathy, will tech companies be collecting our thoughts as data? And the data will it be used for marketing purposes? Thank you for identifying Neurosky; we will need to look into this product as it sounds very similar to NextMind (https://www.next-mind.com/brain-controlled-games-we-want/), which is used for gaming and other digital purposes.
Hi Jasmine and Anna,
Very intriguing and thought-provoking topic! I have to admit that my knee-jerk reaction to this kind of technology is quite negative. I would not trust my brain in the hands of megalomaniac billionaires like Zuck and Musk for one thing. Also, I really hate the idea of having yet another way to multi-task. It just feels like another way to cram more tasks into our already busy lives. The shining light in your presentation to me was the possibility of using this technology to help people with physical and cognitive disabilities to communicate. That would be a beautiful use of this technology. This would be especially helpful in creating inclusive classrooms where all learners could participate and be heard. I see this type of technology being combined with an AR headset. Imagine being able to use your mobile phone apps (ex. online banking, drafting an email, etc.) by commanding your phone with your thoughts to open and use apps while wearing the headset. Maybe in this scenario, you wouldn’t even need a mobile phone anymore, just the AR headset. I also think there needs to be a distinction made between thoughts and words. Thoughts are more than words. They are feelings, sounds, words, ideas and there is a certain “je ne sais quoi” to them. Do you think this technology will get to a point where actual thoughts and feelings could be shared?
Hi Olivia,
We agree that telepathic texting would do wonders for individuals with disabilities, and classrooms will become inclusive. This is one of the why reasons we decided to explore this topic, plus Zuck and Musk are beginning to make headway with this technology. Interesting question about thoughts and feelings being shared. We reflected that when texting, you can intuitively determine how someone is feeling via the text. For instance, whether they are mad, sad, or happy. So perhaps it would be the same thing with texting telepathy. Our intuition would kick in at some point, but emotions are challenging and difficult to read, even face-to-face. The bottom line, texting telepathy may not achieve this successfully, but human contact and intuition are always the best recourse.
Thanks, Olivia! I felt the same as you did. I wasn’t on board, at all. My first instinct was “what if you send a thought you don’t want to send?! Or to the wrong person?!” or what if someone hacked your thoughts?!”. Obviously, these are legitimate concerns and they’re on the radar. But We went forward with the topic anyway because it is part of the current research and a real potential future. I do see incredible potential for people with physical disabilities. I am also intrigued by the hands-free texting option. But I guess we will see how that will work seamlessly. I think we’re far from that for now, but, considering the many accidents caused by texting while driving, I am open to new possibilities. As for thoughts and feelings being shared, I think the idea is that it would… I mean, according to Mark Zuckerberg… It’s idealistic and I feel would mitigate a lot of misunderstandings that happen with our current texting technologies. I am intrigued by the thought of this possibility. it would be quite magical! Thank you for your comment!