Waveforms of Human Intention

Consumer-level neurotechnologies and brain-computer interfaces, long imagined as merging with the Internet, now enable profiling of prethought—anticipating first-person experience before conscious awareness. Corporate interests, especially Meta and Elon Musk's Neuralink, drive this development. The surveillance is neurophenomenological, encompassing body and brain materiality. This raises profound questions about determination and relationships with technologies, each other, companies, and governments, challenging privacy and freedom of thought.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Abstract This chapter considers the development of consumer-level neurotechnologies and brain-computer interfaces. It reviews the history, hopes and politics of these technologies, and early pre-Web belief that these technologies would be merged with the Internet. It also situates early systematic speculation in relation to potentials of neuroscience today, finding scope for profiling of prethought. Such potentials are then situated in context of corporate interests in these technologies, especially those of Meta and Elon Musk’s Neuralink. While raising privacy and freedom of thought concerns, this surveillance is posited as neurophenomenological. This means that it encompasses body and brain materiality, also providing scope to profile, interact with, and anticipate first-person experience. This is argued to raise profound questions about determination and relationships with technologies, each other, companies, and governments.