Artificial Intelligence Brain Implants That Can Affect Mood Are Being Tested on Humans
The U.S. military has begun testing brain implants that could alter mood in humans.
Mind control chips that could be used to control a person's mood are under development, according to reports. The project has been tested by the U.S. military in humans for the first time. It works by implanting microchips into a person's skull and using electronic pulses to change one's brain chemistry. This is a process also known as "deep brain simulation."
Through the neural implants, human feelings and behavior can be controlled. The microchips can also stimulate the brain to treat a variety of mental disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Researchers believe the chips can be of help to patients with other health problems like chronic depression and Parkinson's disease.
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"The exciting thing about these technologies is that for the first time we're going to have a window on the brain where we know what's happening in the brain when someone relapses," Edward Chang, a neuroscientist and project leader, told Nature.
IBTimes points out that after further studies, experts have learned that delivering shocks to certain parts of the brain that play a role in emotions and decision-making can improve a test participant's performance in tasks significantly. These tasks include identifying emotions or simply matching photos of numbers.
It's worth noting that the so-called mind control chips cannot read an individual's mind. However, they still raise ethical concerns since it is a kind of technology that has access on a person's inner feelings.
Alik Widge, an engineering director from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) team, clarified that the microchips cannot exactly read people's minds. Instead, they will only "have access to activity that encodes their feelings."
