Memory and Intelligence Enhancing Brain Implants

Cyberpunk fantasy is fast advancing towards a technological reality. A brain implant is now being developed to enhance memory, and thereby affect intelligence capacities.

Kernel is a new startup from last year, created by Bryan Johnson, and funded with $100 million of his own money. His goal is to contribute to the progress of humanity through enhancing intelligence, with the aim of dramtically increasing our quality of life.

"At Kernel, we believe that starts with the most powerful tool of intelligence we have: the human brain.

We’re working to maintain its vitality and unlock its trapped potential — to tackle the world’s most promising opportunities and vexing challenges and to create more meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling existences."

There has been early testing to show the technology works. In rats, recording the electrical frequencies in one rat allowed a memory to be transfered to another rat. The device was also used in monkeys to improve difficult memory recall tasks.

For human potential, Theodore Berger is studying the brain activity from epilepsy implants to understand more about how our memory functions. Learning how to mirror and mimic memory is also required for further technological progress into AI development. We don't yet understand how our own consciousness is created. Until such a time, it's less likely we will spontaneously create a real artificial consciousness that compares to our own.

This technology would first be developed to aid those with memory issues, like: not being able to form lasting memories, sufferers of concussions, strokes, Alzheimer's, dementia, and traumatic brain injury. Patients who have had electrical stimulation in the hippocampus have shown that this process is effective at enhancing memorization abilities. All of this stimulationis currently done while connected to a computer.

The ideal device will be smaller, and will monitor and stimulate multiple neurons in the hippocampus. It will store data, interface with external devices for control and monitoring, and process data to enhance brain power. Potentials envisioned are:

• VR time dilation
• faster learning
• faster recall
• memory optimization through selective deletion
• computer interfacing
• downloading memories

All of this might sound great, but is has potential for abuse as well. We have to be weary how much we entrust control of ourselves to others. The appeal to "enhance" is quite the allure that can cost us gravely. All because we weren't content being who we were...

Enhanced learning can become enhanced dumbing down. Memory deletion can be used to control what we understand and how we view the world. If anyone has watched Stargate SG-1, there is an episode where the inhabitants are going extinct from AI memory deletion. Computer interfacing, like in the cyberpunk series Ghost in the Shell, can also lead to complete control of your body, and even brain-death. We could even have whole identities replace who we are. As this tech becomes more trendy, the privacy concerns that will arise will also fade and the dangers will become but a memory for most. A trap might be set at this point...

I see a lot of potential for greater control of humanity through this tech, if not directly, then indirectly through more bread and circus manipulation of our senses and affinity for pleasure and stimulus. We like to be entertained after all... Living in a virtual reality, losing ourselves there, wasting time and energy in a false reality... woops... am I talking about the future or the current era of gaming and "augmented reality"? LOL.

While some have great visions the see for the future, other are more skeptical and doubtful much of this will work. Determining which bit of code represents a certain memory capacity, and then modifying to enhance memory, might be tougher than envisioned. The simpler control of activating neurons to stimulate memories has worked (like in mice), and might indicate the next approach they take if the current enhancement fails. This could sure be handy for some nefarious people who want to literally control the brains and minds of people...

One thing seems clear, this new niche for the future, of bio-tech, cybertech, and AI's, might be one of the largest industries to ever emerge. Synthetic life along with AI's is also part of the vision many people have for our future. I'm not too sure if it's all good though... We are dabbling on dangerous grounds...

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[Image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4]

[Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

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Author: Kris Nelson / @krnel
Contact: [email protected]
Date: 2016-11-03, 8pm EST