Merging Man and Machine? The Neurotech Frontier with Dean W. Ball

In this podcast, we dive into the fascinating world of brain-computer interfaces with Dean W. Ball. We learn about the latest technologies, from non-invasive EEG and ultrasound stimulation to invasive Neuralink implants. We also discover the state-of-art tools, technical challenges, and the big questions around thought dimensionality, ethical considerations, and the societal impact of brain reading and writing. SPONSORS: The Brave search API can be used to assemble a data set to train your AI models and help with retrieval augmentation at the time of inference. All while remaining affordable with developer first pricing, integrating the Brave search API into your workflow translates to more ethical data sourcing and more human representative data sets. Try the Brave search API for free for up to 2000 queries per month at https://bit.ly/BraveTCR Omneky is an omnichannel creative generation platform that lets you launch hundreds of thousands of ad iterations that actually work customized across all platforms, with a click of a button. Omneky combines generative AI and real-time advertising data. Mention "Cog Rev" for 10% off https://www.omneky.com/ Plumb is a no-code AI app builder designed for product teams who care about quality and speed. What is taking you weeks to hand-code today can be done confidently in hours. Check out https://bit.ly/PlumbTCR for early access. Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. CHAPTERS: (00:00:00) Introduction (00:04:00) Background (00:06:50) Journey to Neurotech Interest (00:07:56) Concept of Human-Machine Merge (00:12:01) Impact of Language Models (00:15:53) Sponsors: Brave / Omneky (00:17:20) Adoption of AI Tools like ChatGPT (00:22:33) Neural Technologies as Sensor Fusion (00:26:03) Brain Signals and EEG Devices (00:29:09) Electrodes and Electrical Field Measurement (00:37:04) Sponsors: Plumb / Squad (00:39:01) Neurofeedback and Brain Training (00:48:44) The Rise of Neural Networks (00:57:29) Shared Latent Space for Brain Signals (01:09:18) Trajectory of Brain-Computer Interface (01:14:44) Near-Term Possibilities (01:26:25) Limitations of Brain-Computer Interfaces (01:38:31) Stimulating Brain Activity (01:46:08) Policy Considerations (01:52:02) Solved World and Artificial Constraints (02:04:27) Acclimating to Merge Technology (02:08:33) Advice for Understanding Neural Interfaces