🧠 The brain — the last fortress of humanity
As neurotechnology becomes widely accessible, do we need to legally protect our thoughts?
In five years, we will legally own our own thoughts. That is the premise of my latest conversation with Professor Nita Farahany on Exponentially.
In the past five years, over $1bn has been invested in developing neurotechnology. It isn’t just Neuralink. It’s also less invasive wearable devices like Mendi and FocusCalm.
New devices can read and manipulate our mental states to help us relax, learn and reduce pain. As they do this, they harvest data. Can businesses be trusted with this private information? How can we make use of this technology while protecting the last fortress of our humanity — our thoughts and emotions?
I knew there was one person I had to speak to about this — Professor Nita Farahany. Nita is a leading scholar on the ethical, legal, and social implications of emerging technologies. Her latest book is The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology.
In this conversation, Nita and I go into:
The dual-use nature of neurotechnology — we look at the positive outcomes we can all start to enjoy in our workplaces, and the harmful applications that are emerging.
The use of generative AI to reconstruct language and imagery of our thoughts — and what this could mean for our right to think freely.
The right to cognitive liberty — how should be think about protecting our inner space from the encroachment of private businesses and Orwellian governments?
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Thank you!