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Can Machines Control Our Brains?

42 points by theafh 5y ago

briga 5y ago
Haven't smartphones made it obvious that they can? How many times have you checked your phone today? If they're not literal mind-control devices they're certainly putting thoughts into our heads that wouldn't otherwise be there.
- eternalban 5y ago
  Insert "directly" after "Machines".
  - pkdpic_y9k 5y ago
    Insert "to do things more interesting than making in-app purchases?" after "our brains".
    - meowface 5y ago
      Insert after question mark: open parenthesis, "yes, if the machine can send signals to some electronics implanted in your brain, like with monkey mindpong and the opening example in the article of the bull being forced to stop charging via remote control", close parenthesis.
- mrtesthah 5y ago
  “Control” and “Influence” are not the same thing. These words are often used interchangeably, but there is a technical and literal difference.
jcun4128 5y ago
Unrelated thought: if you could rent out part of your brain for compute while you sleep, that would be neat.
- meowface 5y ago
  That seems like it'd probably decrease your quality of sleep, though. Sleep is somewhat of an active process; I don't think it's analogous to an idle CPU. (If it were, it seems unlikely evolution would've conserved that trait so widely.)
- walterbell 5y ago
  If sleep removes toxins from the brain, what would poor sleep do to lifespan? https://www.bbc.com/news/health-24567412 https://www.bbc.com/news/health-24567412 > "The brain only has limited energy at its disposal and it appears that it must choose between two different functional states - awake and aware or asleep and cleaning up," said researcher Dr Maiken Nedergaard. "You can think of it like having a house party. You can either entertain the guests or clean up the house, but you can't really do both at the same time."
- randmeerkat 5y ago
  Until someone tries to mine Bitcoin and burns out part of your brain in the process.
- cryptoz 5y ago
  This is the original plot of The Matrix
- wolpoli 5y ago
  You could create a brand new proof of work cryptocurrency that uses the idle cycles of your brain.
ergot_vacation 5y ago
This of course assumes they are not already doing so. "What are you talking about, that's gibberish-" You start to reply. But of course that would be exactly the response of a human controlled by a machine.
- onion2k 5y ago
  Would a machine, or the person controlling the machine, be concerned about hiding the fact it's controlling you? I don't see why. There's nothing you can do about it whether you know or not.
carapace 5y ago
No mention of Delgado? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Manuel_Rodr%C3%ADguez_Delgado https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Manuel_Rodr%C3%ADgue...
sabhiram 5y ago
The one you call your phone already pretty much does.
7373737373 5y ago
I recommend the book "Neuropath" by R. Scott Bakker: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3170310-neuropath https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3170310-neuropath
jschveibinz 5y ago
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an FDA approved technology for broad, non-invasive stimulation for treating depression. However, new research suggests that stimulating multiple brain sites simultaneously may be effective for treating other brain disorders. Memory enhancement may be possible with this approach. In ten years, non-invasive brain stimulation will probably be common for all sorts of applications.

42 points by theafh 5y ago

Haven't smartphones made it obvious that they can? How many times have you checked your phone today? If they're not literal mind-control devices they're certainly putting thoughts into our heads that wouldn't otherwise be there.

eternalban 5y ago
Insert "directly" after "Machines".
- pkdpic_y9k 5y ago
  Insert "to do things more interesting than making in-app purchases?" after "our brains".
  - meowface 5y ago
    Insert after question mark: open parenthesis, "yes, if the machine can send signals to some electronics implanted in your brain, like with monkey mindpong and the opening example in the article of the bull being forced to stop charging via remote control", close parenthesis.
mrtesthah 5y ago
“Control” and “Influence” are not the same thing. These words are often used interchangeably, but there is a technical and literal difference.

jcun4128 5y ago

Unrelated thought: if you could rent out part of your brain for compute while you sleep, that would be neat.

meowface 5y ago
That seems like it'd probably decrease your quality of sleep, though. Sleep is somewhat of an active process; I don't think it's analogous to an idle CPU. (If it were, it seems unlikely evolution would've conserved that trait so widely.)
walterbell 5y ago
If sleep removes toxins from the brain, what would poor sleep do to lifespan? https://www.bbc.com/news/health-24567412 https://www.bbc.com/news/health-24567412 > "The brain only has limited energy at its disposal and it appears that it must choose between two different functional states - awake and aware or asleep and cleaning up," said researcher Dr Maiken Nedergaard. "You can think of it like having a house party. You can either entertain the guests or clean up the house, but you can't really do both at the same time."
randmeerkat 5y ago
Until someone tries to mine Bitcoin and burns out part of your brain in the process.
cryptoz 5y ago
This is the original plot of The Matrix
wolpoli 5y ago
You could create a brand new proof of work cryptocurrency that uses the idle cycles of your brain.

ergot_vacation 5y ago

This of course assumes they are not already doing so. "What are you talking about, that's gibberish-" You start to reply. But of course that would be exactly the response of a human controlled by a machine.

onion2k 5y ago
Would a machine, or the person controlling the machine, be concerned about hiding the fact it's controlling you? I don't see why. There's nothing you can do about it whether you know or not.

carapace 5y ago

No mention of Delgado? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Manuel_Rodr%C3%ADguez_Delgado https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Manuel_Rodr%C3%ADgue...

sabhiram 5y ago

The one you call your phone already pretty much does.

7373737373 5y ago

I recommend the book "Neuropath" by R. Scott Bakker: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3170310-neuropath https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3170310-neuropath

jschveibinz 5y ago

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is an FDA approved technology for broad, non-invasive stimulation for treating depression. However, new research suggests that stimulating multiple brain sites simultaneously may be effective for treating other brain disorders. Memory enhancement may be possible with this approach. In ten years, non-invasive brain stimulation will probably be common for all sorts of applications.