Is The World F*cked?
Welcome to "Is The World F*cked?" - a weekly raw and irreverent look at the future... starting today! We look at where the world's going in technology, economics, social policies and lots of other crazy sh*t!
We get real about where we could be going if we got our act together, what scares the hell out of us, and what makes our heads spin.
Your hosts are Dr Bruce McCabe, The Global Futurist, and Bruce's mate, "PJ" Jones, one of the original digital marketers in this world. We kick around the big issues everyone's thinking about but might hesitate to raise in polite company, while keeping it real and having some fun. Because, without the laughs, what's the point? And then we try to decide in the end, is the world f*cked, or not?
You can check out our "day jobs" at www.brucemccabe.com and www.alexim.com.au respectively, although this podcast was never meant for our clients (we're scared to death they'll find it). This podcast is for YOU - if you're thinking about the big stuff - and whether the world is f*cked, or not!
Is The World F*cked?
#21 - Mind Reading... But You Knew That Already. Right?!
Fresh from presenting on the future of medicine, Dr Bruce is busting to talk about what he considers one of the most exciting frontiers right now -- reading and decoding directly off the brain (and writing to it too!).
Neuroethicists are split on whether a study that uses brain scans and AI to decode imagined thoughts poses a threat to mental privacy. But whatever you think - the advances are coming thick and fast, and we're already doing impossibly wonderful things like helping paraplegics walk again and catching criminals, with much, much more in the pipeline.
There's EEG, fNIRS [functional near-infrared spectroscopy], fMRI [functional magnetic resonance imaging], EMG, and other modalities that collect biological, electrophysiological, and other functions from the human brain. You can then use this data to identify particular patterns for the purpose of thought prediction and analysis. You can use it to make inferences based on brain states: are you tired, are you thinking about us, what are you thinking about, are you bored? are you telling the truth? what is your PIN number? what are the codes, and are you planning something terrible - like a crime?
Well, that is what could be in our future - especially when brain data is collected by consumer products or at retail outlets... so it's great - and not so great all at the same time - again.
And you guessed it - PJ’s evil side is already conjuring up darker, naughtier applications! Plug in your earbuds and dial 'em up to ten. This one will blow all your circuits! (although you probably already knew that!)
And for the record, when we're doing real work and not podcasting, you'll find Dr Bruce, The Global Futurist presenting here and PJ applying his digital marketing genius here. Enjoy!
