Mind reading machines … and other research (2024)

  1. Mind reading machines ...
  2. Mind reading machines … and other research

Opinion BMJ 2024; 386 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q1823 (Published 22 August 2024) Cite this as: BMJ 2024;386:q1823

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  1. Tom Nolan, clinical editor; sessional GP, Surrey
  1. The BMJ, London

Tom Nolan reviews this week’s research

A lesson in TACT

There was no plausible mechanism to suggest that removing heavy metals such as cadmium and lead using edetate disodium (EDTA) infusions might reduce cardiovascular events in people who have had a myocardial infarction, but the TACT randomised control trial was funded nonetheless. In 2013 the findings surprised the academic world when those in the EDTA chelation arm of the trial were found to have lower rates of cardiovascular events than those in the placebo group. Eleven years on, the TACT2 study has failed to reproduce these results, finding no cardiovascular benefits from EDTA chelation compared with placebo among the nearly 1000 participants with type 2 diabetes and a history of myocardial infarction. An aptly tactful editorial note accompanying the study in JAMA calls for us to learn from this story and reminds us that “common sense dictates that not all hypotheses need be subjected to a clinical trial.”

JAMA doi:10.1001/jama.2024.11463

Looking for indications

A study of 4752 nursing home residents in the US found that 582 (12.2%) were receiving an oral anticoagulant and an antiplatelet, and 45% of those receiving an antiplatelet (mostly aspirin) had no indication for the prescription recorded. We’ve all been there, hunting through consultation notes that give a Pulitzer-worthy account of the patient’s narrative but nothing about why a new medication was prescribed, clinic letters that joyfully declare cancer has been excluded but refuse to offer any opinion on symptoms or treatment, and medication history audit trails that have an uncanny tendency to reveal that the medication was first prescribed on one of the rare days when nothing else was recorded in the patient’s notes. Ten minutes later, with the time allocated to the consultation over, you turn back to the patient: “What was it you were saying?”

JAMA Intern Med doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2024.3819

Mind reading machines

In these frustrating situations, it's just as well we don’t wear devices that can translate the words in our head into speech. That might sound a bit sci-fi, but a study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that it’s possible. A brain-computer interface—known as a neuroprosthesis—was able to help a person with severe dysarthria to speak with a 97.5% accuracy at a rate of 32 words per minute, and to continue this over an eight month follow-up period. It was done by placing 256 electrodes into the left precentral gyrus, which controls the lips, jaw, tongue, and larynx. Signals from the electrodes were processed—with the aid of AI—to work out what the person was trying to say, then turned into speech using software that emulates the sound of the person’s voice.

N Engl J Med doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2314132

Uncertainties in diagnosing pneumonia

So we live in a world where we can make machines that literally speak your mind, and yet finding relevant clinical details in someone’s medical notes can be a needle in a haystack task that sends a whole clinic spiralling out of control. As well as needing a good edit, electronic patient records would be much improved if we could better express uncertainty in them. Diagnosis is often uncertain, and pragmatic treatment decisions are made all the time, as shown by a retrospective cohort study of people hospitalised with pneumonia in the US.

From a database of over two million hospitalisations, 13.3% were diagnosed with pneumonia at either initial assessment or discharge. However, a third (33%) of those diagnosed with pneumonia on discharge weren’t diagnosed on initial assessment, and a third (36%) of those diagnosed initially did not have pneumonia as a diagnosis on discharge. Many patients with pneumonia received treatments for other possible diagnoses—with 10% receiving antibiotics, corticosteroids, and diuretics within 24 hours of admission. The authors conclude that this demonstrates the “need to recognize diagnostic uncertainty and treatment ambiguity in research and practice of pneumonia-related care.”

Ann Intern Med doi:10.7326/M23-2505

Adapting to climate change

Globally, 2023 was the warmest year on record—and the second warmest in Europe. A modelling study in Nature Medicine estimates that there were 47 690 heat related deaths in Europe in 2023 (95% confidence interval 28 853 to 66 525). The study also estimates that the number would be 80% higher if it weren’t for adaptations made since the turn of the century. What these adaptations are, and how they’ve had such a positive effect, isn’t clear, however, as they’re described in the paper only as “a broad range of factors encompassing infrastructure, technological and behavioral adaptation.” As the world heats up, understanding how we can adapt in an environmentally sustainable way will be needed to ensure that heat related deaths don’t rise even further.

Nat Med doi:10.1038/s41591-024-03186-1

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review: Not commissioned; not peer reviewed.

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Mind reading machines … and other research (2024)

FAQs

Is there an AI that reads thoughts? ›

This is done by an AI model called DeWave developed by the researchers. DeWave translates EEG signals into words and sentences by learning from large quantities of EEG data.

Is mind-reading ethical? ›

As demonstrated in our study, putative AI-enabled brain-reading neurotechnologies for mind-reading purposes were associated with ethical concerns such as violation of mental privacy, mental freedom and personhood.

Can Neuralink read thoughts? ›

Neuralink has developed an implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) designed to allow folks to control external devices with their thoughts.

What is the software that can read your mind? ›

BrainGPT – a “mind-reading” app – is significantly closer than you might have imagined. A significant advance in sensor technology has made BrainGPT a portable prospect. At the moment, it's a technology with around a 40% accuracy – but speech recognition moved quickly, and so could this.

Is it possible to read someone's thoughts? ›

Humans cannot literally read the minds of others, but can create mental models so as to effectively intuit people's thoughts and feelings. This is known as empathic accuracy, and it involves “reading” cues telegraphed by the words, emotions, and body language of another person.

Is there any technology that can read thoughts? ›

A new study from the center showed strides in a brain-machine interface to read a person's thoughts and plainly translate them into words for all to see. Signals read from the brain were “translated” and then converted “into text in real time.”

Who is the best mind reader? ›

Uri Geller

He gained widespread recognition in the 1970s for his unique performances and illusions of telepathy, psychokinesis, and mind reading. Geller's fame can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, his spoon-bending trick became his signature act, captivating audiences worldwide.

What are the potential risks of mind-reading technology? ›

Psychological Symptoms. The psychological impact of mind-reading technology can be profound. Most people who suspect their thoughts are being monitored might develop feelings of paranoia, anxiety, or a loss of trust in others.

Can neuroscientists read minds? ›

With brain scans and a powerful computer model of language, scientists detected the main ideas from stories that people heard, thought or watched.

How much will Neuralink cost? ›

How much will Neuralink cost? A Neuralink chip is estimated to cost $10,500 (around £8,300) in exams, parts and labour, according to a Bloomberg report. Insurer costs are expected to bump that price up to the $50,000 (£39,000) mark.

What is the negative side of Neuralink? ›

If Neuralink is implanted incorrectly, it can lead to infections and inflammation in the brain, which may result in an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life.

What diseases will Neuralink fix? ›

This would enable those with spinal cord injuries to move their limbs, and could effectively cure paralysis, blindness, mental illness, and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

Is there a device that can read people's thoughts? ›

In one particularly telling exchange, a pair of researchers from the University of Texas at Austin who've successfully created a BCI that can rudimentarily translate brain waves into text described how it felt to realize their device was actually reading their thoughts.

Can thoughts be transmitted? ›

There is no reasonable evidence that telepathy exists, and the topic is generally considered by the scientific community to be pseudoscience.

Is there a device that reads to you? ›

OrCam Read makes any text accessible, from newspapers and emails to road signs, reading printed and digital content aloud effortlessly, anywhere you are, entirely without internet.

Is there a real self aware AI? ›

Over the years, advancements in cognitive computing and machine learning have paved the way for the development of self-aware AI. Researchers are exploring ways to imbue AI systems with self-awareness as technology progresses by integrating complex algorithms that mimic human cognitive processes.

Is there an AI that reads for you? ›

What is the best AI that reads text aloud? The best AI largely depends on personal use and specific requirements. However, popular options include Google Text-to-Speech, Amazon Polly, Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services, Speechify, and Natural Reader.

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