The End Of Knowledge - Vault 3 - G.TEC BCI & Neurotechnology Spring School 2024 - Day 5

graph LR classDef bifi fill:#f9d4d4, font-weight:bold, font-size:14px; classDef bifiExamples fill:#d4f9d4, font-weight:bold, font-size:14px; classDef bifiThemes fill:#d4d4f9, font-weight:bold, font-size:14px; classDef bifiActivities fill:#f9f9d4, font-weight:bold, font-size:14px; classDef bifiDiscussion fill:#f9d4f9, font-weight:bold, font-size:14px; A[Brendan Z. Allison] --> B[Bifi: BCI science fiction. 1] A --> C[Bifi study: fun, inspiring,
informative, ethical issues. 2] A --> D[Recent bifi activities: website,
events, lectures, poster. 3] A --> E[Bifi selection criteria: informal,
objective, well-known, issues. 4] A --> F[Bifi evaluation: realism, ethics,
altruism, real BCI connections. 5] A --> G[Star Trek: admirable, realistic,
ethical, assistive BCI. 6] G --> H[We Can Remember It For You
Wholesale: unrealistic, unethical memory implant. 7] G --> I[Ghost in the Invisible Bikini:
BCI for dead people. 8] G --> J[Brainstorm: unrealistic, bulky BCI,
records/shares experiences. 9] G --> K[Terminal Man: realistic, unethical
medical BCI causes murder. 10] G --> L[Empire Strikes Back: unclear,
unrealistic, unimportant BCI. 11] G --> M[Firefox: unrealistic, unethical BCI,
enhances pilot abilities. 12] G --> N[Ghostbusters: somewhat realistic, ethical
BCI reads visual memories. 13] G --> O[Neuromancer: unrealistic BCI,
superior hacking, dystopian world. 14] G --> P[Star Trek: Next Generation:
addictive BCI game, safety lessons. 15] G --> Q[Strange Days: unrealistic, mostly
unethical BCI records/shares experiences. 16] G --> R[Matrix, Black Mirror: perfect,
immersive, unrealistic, unethical BCIs. 17] G --> S[Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams:
immersive BCI, questioning reality. 18] A --> T[Common bifi themes: exaggerated
capabilities, computer-to-brain, sensations, relevance varies. 19] T --> U[Recurring elements: control, surgery,
ineffective regulations, dystopia, detrimental effects. 20] T --> V[Bifi often depicts evil
entities, selfish goals, ineffective oversight. 21] T --> W[Few bifi comedies: mostly
action, drama, horror. 22] A --> X[Future bifi: explore examples,
authors, genres, themes, new content. 23] A --> Y[Recent/potential bifi activities: lectures,
discussions, events, awards, publicity. 24] A --> Z[Upcoming bifi events: Graz
BCI conference, BCI Research Award. 25] A --> AA[Discussion: Dr. Brain, BCIs for
dead, 11 billion users, brain uploading. 26] AA --> AB[Star Trek 'The Cage':
realistic, achievable BCI. 27] AA --> AC[BCIs for dolphins, including
dead and pink river dolphins. 28] A --> AD[Brendan Allison thanks host
and audience for listening. 29] A --> AE[Q&A continues in chat,
touching on presentation points. 30] class A,B,C,D,E,F,X,Y,Z,AA,AD,AE bifi; class G,H,I,J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R,S bifiExamples; class T,U,V,W bifiThemes; class AB,AC bifiDiscussion;

Resume:

1.- Brendan Z. Allison discusses BCI science fiction or "bifi" - any science fiction involving brain-computer interfaces, even if not central to plot.

2.- Bifi study is relevant as it can be fun, inspire, inform/misinform people, raise ethical issues, and influence decisions around BCIs.

3.- Recent bifi activities include a website, paper, BCI Thursday events, guest lecture from Andy Weir, poster, and BCI movie night.

4.- Selection criteria for bifi examples were informal, considering objective measures, well-known works, issues raised, and avoiding biases.

5.- Bifi examples were evaluated on realism when written/produced, today, in 10 years, ethical issues, altruism, and connections to real BCI research.

6.- Star Trek (1965) has admirable, realistic, ethical example of BCI as assistive tech for disabled user, not central to plot.

7.- We Can Remember It For You Wholesale (1966) and Total Recall movie (1990) have unrealistic, unethical involuntary memory implantation system.

8.- The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (1966) has a BCI for dead people, an untapped user group that could be lucrative.

9.- Brainstorm (1982) depicts an unrealistic bulky BCI system that records/shares experiences, with both ethical and unethical applications.

10.- Terminal Man (1972) by Crichton, a medical doctor, depicts a realistic but unethical medical BCI that causes murder as a side effect.

11.- Empire Strikes Back (1980) has an unclear, unrealistic BCI on a character, not important to the plot.

12.- Firefox (1982) shows an unrealistic, unethical BCI giving a pilot superior capabilities, with no training. Common theme of BCIs enhancing abilities.

13.- Ghostbusters (1984) briefly shows a somewhat realistic, ethical BCI that reads low-res visual memories. Features a colander prop.

14.- Neuromancer (1984) depicts an unrealistic BCI enabling superior hacking abilities in a dystopian world. Damage to the hacker's brain disables BCI use.

15.- Star Trek: Next Generation (1987) has officers becoming addicted to a BCI game. Lacks realism but provides lessons on BCI safety.

16.- Strange Days (1995) features an unrealistic, mostly unethical underground BCI system that records and shares experiences, a recurring bifi theme.

17.- The Matrix (1999) and Black Mirror (2011+) depict perfect, fully immersive, unrealistic, unethical neural interfaces indistinguishable from reality.

18.- Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams (2018) also explores an immersive BCI world where the protagonist questions which reality is "real."

19.- Common bifi themes: exaggerated BCI capabilities, computer-to-brain interfaces, writing sensations to the brain, relevance to plot varies.

20.- Other recurring elements: neurotechnology used to control others, casual neurosurgery, ineffective regulations, dystopian worlds, uninformed users, and detrimental effects.

21.- Bifi examples often depict evil BCI-controlling entities, selfish goals, ineffective oversight, and dystopian elitist societies bad for BCI users.

22.- Few bifi works are comedies; most are action, drama, or horror. Not many are written by BCI experts.

23.- Future bifi directions include exploring more examples, authors, genres, themes, creating new content, articles, accessible versions of stories.

24.- Recent/potential bifi activities: lectures, discussions, movie nights, conference events, awards, publicity, getting sponsors and community involved.

25.- Upcoming bifi-related events include the Graz BCI conference and the BCI Research Award with submissions due Sept 1, 2024.

26.- Discussion points: Dr. Brain series, BCIs for dead people as a lucrative opportunity, 11 billion potential users, and brain uploading.

27.- Star Trek episode "The Cage" is considered one of the most realistic bifi examples, depicting a BCI achievable with today's technology.

28.- Interesting side discussion on making BCIs for dolphins, including dead dolphins and pink Amazon River dolphins.

29.- Brendan Allison thanks the host Christoph Guger and the audience for listening to his talk on BCI science fiction.

30.- Questions & discussion continue in the chat after the formal talk concludes, touching on points from the presentation.

Knowledge Vault built byDavid Vivancos 2024