‘No way to tell what’s real or fake’ as Neuralink-style brain chips could plant deepfakes in your mind, expert warns
AI brain chips could leave users trapped in a fake reality, a security expert has warned.
Erich Kron a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4 told The U.S. Sun that, in a worst-case scenario, AI brain chips could leave us questioning reality.
“I think one of the biggest security risks we would face with electronics interfaced into our brains is that of deception.
“While the Neuralink chip is currently designed only to read brain signals to allow a person to control another device, any time we’re tapping into the brain directly, there will be a risk that it could be hacked and used to send signals back to the brain,” the specialist said.
Kron isn’t the first person to raise concerns about the security risk posed by brain chips.
Several other experts have warned about the dangers of medical device hacking ever since Elon Musk’s Neuralink recently implanted its first device in a human.
The billionaire posted on his platform X about the chip implantation but has revealed no details since.
“The first human received an implant from @Neuralink yesterday and is recovering well.
“Initial results show promising neuron spike detection,” Musk said on January 29.
Neuralink’s brain chip is intended to be a medical device that can cure brain diseases as well as a gadget that could help humans compete with AI in the future.
The company’s website says that its mission is to “create a generalized brain interface to restore autonomy to those with unmet medical needs today and unlock human potential tomorrow.”
Even the best technology comes with risks though and medical devices are not immune from being hacked and manipulated.
Kron is concerned that a device like a Neuralink brain chip could result in users being unable to trust their own thoughts.
“People are easy enough to deceive with our senses being natural, however, the idea that an external force could potentially manipulate what we see, hear, and feel is a scary proposition.
“Imagine having no way to tell if what you’re seeing before you is real or fake and the repercussions of somebody being able to control that perception.
“Tapping directly into the brain, especially with devices designed to allow wireless data flow, is something that we need to be very careful in doing,” he said.
