OpenAI founder Sam Altman is placing a significant bet on a pioneering technology: the startup is working on a method to wirelessly link artificial intelligence (AI) to the human brain utilizing ultrasound, bypassing the need for surgery or implants. The concept involves employing focused ultrasound waves to safely pass through the skull and interact with neurons—either to stimulate them or read their activity. This announcement has generated a massive response, ranging from excitement about a new phase of evolution to conspiracy theories concerning absolute control over consciousness.
AI expert: “People will stop thinking for themselves”
Photo: Liliya Sharlovskaya
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How realistic is such a project, and what might its outcomes be? Yuri Chainikov, a research fellow at the Institute of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at MAI and an AI expert, shared his assessment with “MK.”
According to him, from the perspective of AI ecosystem development, the project appears logical. If AI currently communicates with humans via text and images, a direct neural interface in the future could become a tool for augmenting thought processes.
“It is quite sensible that a company creating tools to enhance thinking would seek to connect to the human brain as fully as possible to exchange and transmit information directly,” the expert believes.
He suggests that while the ultrasound method might be less precise than surgical implants, it could still gather comparable volumes of data. Its primary advantage lies in being non-invasive, which lowers user hurdles and expedites the path to mass market adoption.
“The typical lead time for refining such a technology from concept to widespread deployment is a matter of a few years. Considering its non-invasive nature, I estimate this will take up to five years,” Chainikov forecasts. He also notes, however, that the main obstacle might not be the technology itself, but rather society’s preparedness to embrace such an innovation.
The AI expert from MAI considers fears that these developments are part of a scheme to establish control over people to be exaggerated. He attributes Sam Altman’s involvement to the standard practice of venture capital investment in high-risk, breakthrough areas.
A more significant and compelling question, in Chainikov’s view, is the future impact of the technology on humanity’s cognitive capabilities.
“A portion of people, the proactive ones, will utilize this new technology as a mechanism to amplify their intellect and will. But on a mass scale, people will think less for themselves, increasingly depending on how language models process things for them,” he predicts.
The ultimate result of neural interface development may not be total control, but rather a new form of technological stratification in society: distinguishing between those who use these interfaces for self-improvement and those who increasingly delegate their cognitive functions to external systems.
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