--- title: "UN Warns That AI-Powered Brain Implants Could Spy on Our Innermost Thoughts" description: "UNESCO cautioned that AI has seen \"warp speed\" advances in neurotechnology that can read your mind, raising human rights concerns." date: "2023-07-14" modified: "2023-07-14" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/un-warns-brain-implants-spy-thoughts" categories: - "Brain" - "Brain Implants" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "brain implants" - "neuralink" - "neurotechnology" - "the digest" --- # UN Warns That AI-Powered Brain Implants Could Spy on Our Innermost Thoughts ![UNESCO cautioned that AI has seen "warp speed" advances in neurotechnology that can read your mind, raising human rights concerns.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Thought Police The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has sounded the alarm bell on neurotechnology, warning that its "warp speed" advancement, catalyzed by artificial intelligence, poses a threat to human rights and mental privacy, [*Agence France-Presse* reports](). In response, UNESCO will develop an "ethical framework" to address the potential human rights concerns raised by neurotech, it said at an international conference in Paris on Thursday. "We are on a path to a world in which algorithms will enable us to decode people's mental processes and directly manipulate the brain mechanisms underlying their intentions, emotions and decisions," Gabriela Ramos, UNESCO assistant director-general social and human sciences, said at the event. ## Brain-o-Scope Roughly speaking, neurotech describes electronic devices that connect with your brain or nervous system, such as brain computer interfaces, also known as brain implants, and brain scans. Typically, the tech has been reserved for more medical purposes, like [helping paralyzed people move again](), or [regain their eyesight]() or hearing. But recent advancements have given experts pause over its potential invasiveness. One [study]() with decidedly dystopian implications was able to successfully pair the use of a large language model AI with a functional MRI brain scan to literally read people's thoughts and spell them out in words. It's still early days for the field, but these advances wouldn't be possible without AI, which can be used to help process brain data at astonishing rates — and that has experts worried that we could be on the precipice of grim new privacy concerns. "It's like putting neurotech on steroids," Mariagrazia Squicciarini, a UNESCO economist specializing in AI, told *AFP*. ## Massive Investment The enormous amounts of capital being pumped into the neurotech industry should also be cause for concern, not too dissimilar to how breathless AI hype has [seen the tech]() [run amok](). Money talks, and it usually doesn't have the average person's best interests in mind. Between 2010 and 2020, [investment in neurotechnology companies]() soared to over $33 billion, according to a new UNESCO report coauthored by Squicciarini — a 22-fold increase. Meanwhile, the number of neurotech patents has doubled in half that time period. Among many companies spearheading that charge is Elon Musk's Neuralink, which [recently received approval from the Food and Drug Administration]() to test its brain implants in humans, and is now backed up by Musk's recently launched AI firm, [xAI](). UNESCO representatives say neurotech isn't all bad, however — though there's a clear dearth of future-proofed regulation. **More on neurotech:** *[Companies Already Investing in Tech to Scan Employees’ Brains]()* ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()